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Russian KA-52 Conducts Long Range Air-to-Ground Attacks
Published 2 years ago
Footage released by the Russian Ministry of Defense shows a KA-52 Alligator conducting long range air-to-ground attacks against Ukrainian targets near Donbas.
It seems as if the Russians are almost exclusively using their attack helicopters in a long-range attack capacity now that the Ukrainians have access to enough surface-to-air threats to keep them at bay. While this effectively removes the threat of the attack helicopters to ground troops, it does make the situation more dangerous for those living in the areas where these attacks are hitting.
In this video, you can see the KA-52 pilot tilt his nose up before unloading his rocket pods. This maximizes the effective range of the weapon systems, however it makes it entirely impossible for the pilot to know exactly where the rounds are going to land. The best they can do is guesstimate the impact area by flying at a certain heading and using the maximum range of their rockets from their position in an attempt to reach their target.
This style of aiming works for artillery and mortars because the platforms are stationary. It's fairly simple math to locate and hit your target from a stationary position. When you're in a helicopter that is moving at a high rate of speed however, variables are subjective and the exact impact area cannot always be determined. This however is not a problem for the Russians, as most of their targets are labeled as "That general vicinity."
