After early setbacks, Russian helicopter pilots shifted to low-altitude operations and high-angle indirect fire, known as “lofting”—which has been highly inaccurate but extremely destructive.
“Hokum B” is the NATO reporting name for Russia’s Kamov Ka-52 “Alligator.” The Ka-52 Alligator is one of Russia’s most advanced—and recognizable—attack helicopters, designed to deliver precision strikes, provide reconnaissance, and coordinate battlefield operations that was developed by the Kamov Design Bureau. Kamov is known for its coaxial rotor systems. It supplanted the older Ka-50 “Black Shark” around 2011.
A twin-seat, all-weather attack helicopter, the Ka-52 is designed for versatility in high-intensity combat environments, such as the kind that the Russians are now facing in the ongoing Ukraine War. Unlike its single-seat predecessor, the Ka-50, the Alligator incorporates a second crewmember to reduce pilot workload and enhance mission effectiveness, particularly in complex battlefield scenarios.
Indeed, the helicopter’s most distinctive feature is the coaxial rotor system, which eliminates the need for a tail rotor. This has a number of advantages for the copter; it improves maneuverability, reduces vulnerability to ground fire, and allows for operations in confined spaces. A coaxial rotor is basically two rotors on top of each other (as opposed to just the one that most helicopters possess). The helicopter’s unique, compact design makes this bird very agile.
All About Russia’s Ka-52 Helicopter
The Ka-52 is powered by two Klimov VK-2500 turborshaft engines, each providing 2,400 horsepower, allowing for the Ka-52 to achieve a maximum speed of around 186 miles per hour. What’s more, the Ka-52 has a highly automated avionics package, featuring a mast-mounted Phazotron FH-01 Millimeter Wave Radar for detecting aerial and ground targets, as well as the GOES-451M electro-optical payload for enhanced targeting. The helo comes equipped with the L-370 “Vitebsk” electronic warfare suite, which includes laser warning sensors, infrared jammers, and flare dispensers to counter missile threats.
Additionally, the Ka-52 is one of the few helicopters equipped with an ejection seat, the K-37-800M.
The Ka-52 is armed with a 30mm 2A42 autocannon mounted on the starboard side and six wing-mounted hardpoints able to carry an assortment of weapons, including the Vikhr-M laser-guided anti-tank missiles, Ataka missiles, and 80mm S-8 unguided rockets. Russian designers have since introduced the Izdeliye 305E (LMUR) missile, with a range of up to nine miles. This new weapon has only furthered the Ka-52’s standoff capabilities, allowing strikes from beyond the reach of many short-range air defenses that pervade Ukraine’s battlefields.
Since the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022, the Ka-52 Alligator has been a primary weapon platform deployed into the fray by Moscow. It is often tasked with close-air support (CAS), anti-armor missions, recon, and drone interception. So far, however, the new attack helicopter has had only mixed success on the battlefield in the face of Ukrainian air defenses.
The Ka-52 Has Dangerous Weaknesses—but Russia Is Adapting
Throughout the ongoing war, Ukraine’s Man-Portable Air-Defense Systems (MANPADs), particularly the US-provided Stinger systems and British Martlets, as well as anti-tank guided missiles such as the Stugna-P, have proved very effective against the Ka-52. To make matters worse, the Russians kept deploying their Ka-52 Alligators deep behind enemy lines at the start of the war, intending to throw the Ukrainians into chaos by penetrating their lines but in practice subjecting the helicopters to an overwhelming amount of attacks from air defenses. The Ka-52 has also proven particularly vulnerable to Ukrainian aerial drone attacks.
Despite these early setbacks, though, Russia adapted its tactics to mitigate losses and maximize the Ka-52’s effectiveness. By mid-2023, Russian pilots had shifted to low-altitude operations and high-angle indirect fire, known as “lofting,” where helicopters briefly pop up to launch unguided rockets or missiles from a distance before retreating behind cover.
This tactic reduced exposure to Ukrainian air defenses, though it also compromised strike accuracy. Thus, the Ka-52’s effectiveness in some key scenarios was limited as a result. But ever since Russia incorporated the aforementioned LMUR missile into the Ka-52’s arsenal, the Ka-52’s efficacy in combat has expanded greatly.
In fact, the Ka-52s have gotten much better at anti-drone missions. For instance, this last May, Ka-52s were actually deployed to intercept Ukrainian drones that had been sent to attack targets in Moscow. The Ka-52s used 30mm autocannons and Igla anti-aircraft missiles to shoot down the attacking drones. This unconventional use underscored the helicopter’s adaptability in response to emerging threats, such as Ukraine’s increasing drone operations targeting Russian territory.
To be clear, the Ka-52’s loss rate has been somewhere in the ballpark of 62 percent, which is astonishingly high for any modern system. But the nature of the Ukraine War, and the ferocity with which both sides are fighting that conflict, means that the Russians and Ukrainians will both have high attrition rates—particularly as both sides view the conflict as an existential war for their nation’s survival.
The Ka-52, despite its high losses at the start of the war, has proven itself repeatedly in combat over the years. This system is a real contender for one of the best attack helicopters in the world. That it has been proven to be adaptable in the age of robust anti-tank, anti-aircraft, and drone attacks underscores how prepared for real modern warfare the Russian Armed Forces are—particularly in comparison to the Americans, who are far more prepared to fight insurgents in the deserts of the Middle East than a great power war in the Indo-Pacific.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a contributor at Popular Mechanics, who consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Shutterstock / aarows.
