Multiple accounts — including from the media arm of the Russian Ministry of Defense itself — now document how Russian aviation is operating very close to the front lines, with attack helicopters presenting an especially serious threat to the Ukrainian counteroffensive in areas where armored advances are orchestrated. In particular, the Ka-52 Hokum has been repeatedly mentioned.
The Ka-52 has borne the brunt of rotary-wing close air support missions since the start of the war.
Assuming these helicopters are in heavy use?
Russian military bloggers are now more frequently citing the successes of these combat helicopters. There are unconfirmed reports of dozens of Ukrainian armored vehicles being destroyed in recent fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region and elsewhere in the east.
Seemingly, the lack of forward-deployed Ukrainian mobile SHORAD has left a ‘dead zone’ in which the Ka-52 can operate with a greater degree of safety than in the past.
At the same time, the lack of air defense systems means that Ukrainian armor becomes more vulnerable, pushing forward at times without the cover that it needs, leading to losses from attack helicopters, among others.
The Ka-52 has two main anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) options. The 9M120-1 Ataka-1 has a maximum range of 3.7 miles, while the 9A4172K Vikhr-1 can reach targets at 5-6 miles. Both missiles use laser beam-riding guidance, although 9M120 missiles with radio-command guidance can also be used. “The Ka-52 is the only Russian attack helicopter fielded in large numbers that is able to employ the 9A4172K Vikhr-1, which has a substantial range advantage over older Russian helicopter-launched ATGMs,” Plopsky observes.
In spite of my writing so often about conflict, I’m going to tell you all this military equipment just terrifies me!
16 replies on “Ukraine’s Armor Appears To Have A Russian Attack Helicopter Problem”
The Ukrainians are being used by NATO as bait to find out what the Russians have in terms of weaponry. It’s despicable for Zelensky to have the Ukraine citizens used in such a way.
Hey GC
Yah, I would say all this, on both sides, is trying to find out weapons available and capabilities- I agree 100 percent Zelensky is providing Ukrainian citizens for the military machine- in a war that never needed to take place. Ukraine and the international community wanted it to occur and they created the conditions to make it so!
Hi Penny:
Is there anything more terrifying than a thermobaric weapon if you are near one when it goes off? Have you looked at the effect of these weapons on humans? Russia uses them.
A Russian would probably reply to that: À la guerre comme à la guerre, One must make the best of one’s situation, or make do with what one has; roughly keep a stiff upper lip, or when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Russian: на войне́ как на войне́ (na vojné kak na vojné). And we French also have a saying for such situations: Qui s’y frotte s’y pique (watch out, you might get burned).
I was not objecting to Russia using thermobaric weapons, I was just explaining to Penny how terrifying this weapon is in response to her comment about military equipment that terrifies her.
Hi Gary
I didn’t think you were suggesting that Russia not use this weapon- I felt you were rightly pointing out how terrifying that weapon is. And it is!
The DU tipped missiles wil sicken and kill for decades- the thermobaric pretty much ensure an instant or near instant death- it’s all awful
Hi Gallier the Elder,
yes, and all those things are true- make the best of what you have because, sadly, it can always be worse-
I had a tough childhood, myself, so I understand what it means to make the best of things or simply push on through- knowing you’ll come out okay-
But I find war so utterly horrific and brutal- it’s something that should only be taken up in the most necessary of situations- and those are really always few and far between.
At the heart of things, I’m completely anti war- thinking that diplomacy is the primary way of political dealings- but I also realize that war making is big business, very big business, like pharma companies, these industries provide the weapons of choice to fight that which should be avoided at all costs.
Example- diplomacy over war
Example- proper nutrition, clean water and clean food as well as clean living over pharma drugs and jabs
Perhaps I’m too much of an idealist? Oh well I can’t change now
(sorry for the ramble)
Oh dear Penny, you are of course excused. Who would not want peace, except bought politicians and arms producers. But the world of politicians is rarely guided by the wishes of the small citizen.
I white on a side, where interesting about the topic war to read is. https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/dissecting-west-point-think-tanks
I wish you and your family, and all commentators here, a nice summer. May it not end in an Armageddon!
Hi Gallier the Elder
You’re right the world of politics is rarely guided by the small citizen, perhaps locally, but even that is subjected to outside influence in ways it should not be.
I’m going to check out the linked piece.
And here’s hoping we all have a good summer, starting today the first day of summer and the summer solstice- Armegeddon is on my mind. War and financially for many many people.
I have read about the effects of the thermobaric bombs and they read like the stuff of nightmares-
pretty sure everyone here knows what they are, but, in case
they are also known as vacuum bombs and like a vacuum cleaner they “suck everything up or out” or like a vacuum- the create a void, or an emptiness in the human body
Hi Penny: Today is June 17. For the information of your readers, they may find that they are blocked in trying to read some honest journalism. One solution, at least for the present, is to install the TOR browser. This worked for me this morning.
Radar
Blocked resources are blocked, can’t be helped. But using TOR to bypass is not something I would recommend. There is not concrete signs, but enough speculation that U.S agency has control over several exit nodes where they could sniff data and use normal users to hide their own Covert traffic.
Hi Kaz, well that’s interesting!
See this stuff is out of my league- I’m having difficulties understanding this site and managing it on my own- but it’s a learning curve and I’m trying!
In laymen terms, and this going to be rough to explain.
While using a car you have to from Location A to Location B. But while you could go in one go, which you would normally do(like how normal internet works).
Now with Tor you move from Location A to Location B making use of several warehouses between the two spots.
So instead of making a direct passage to Location B, you now go to a warehouse where you leave your car. The people in the warehouse blindfold you and move you from one warehouse to the other until you get to your destination. At your destination you pick up your package and get moved back to the warehouse you left your car(might be a different warehouse aswell, part of the service). This way is someone was following you, they would have a hard time figuring out who was in what transport and keep things under the radar so to say. Specially if there is a high volume of people making use of the service, you wouldn’t be able to connect the dots.
This is a very rough explanation and does not translate 1 to 1, but idea should be correct
Thanks for the suggestion radar! 🙂
I can’t speak to TOR myself, but, if others can and do use it and they can get here to read- that’s great!
[…] Ukraine’s Armor Appears To Have A Russian Attack Helicopter Problem […]
16 replies on “Ukraine’s Armor Appears To Have A Russian Attack Helicopter Problem”
The Ukrainians are being used by NATO as bait to find out what the Russians have in terms of weaponry. It’s despicable for Zelensky to have the Ukraine citizens used in such a way.
Hey GC
Yah, I would say all this, on both sides, is trying to find out weapons available and capabilities- I agree 100 percent Zelensky is providing Ukrainian citizens for the military machine- in a war that never needed to take place. Ukraine and the international community wanted it to occur and they created the conditions to make it so!
Hi Penny:
Is there anything more terrifying than a thermobaric weapon if you are near one when it goes off? Have you looked at the effect of these weapons on humans? Russia uses them.
A Russian would probably reply to that: À la guerre comme à la guerre, One must make the best of one’s situation, or make do with what one has; roughly keep a stiff upper lip, or when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Russian: на войне́ как на войне́ (na vojné kak na vojné). And we French also have a saying for such situations: Qui s’y frotte s’y pique (watch out, you might get burned).
I was not objecting to Russia using thermobaric weapons, I was just explaining to Penny how terrifying this weapon is in response to her comment about military equipment that terrifies her.
Hi Gary
I didn’t think you were suggesting that Russia not use this weapon- I felt you were rightly pointing out how terrifying that weapon is. And it is!
The DU tipped missiles wil sicken and kill for decades- the thermobaric pretty much ensure an instant or near instant death- it’s all awful
Hi Gallier the Elder,
yes, and all those things are true- make the best of what you have because, sadly, it can always be worse-
I had a tough childhood, myself, so I understand what it means to make the best of things or simply push on through- knowing you’ll come out okay-
But I find war so utterly horrific and brutal- it’s something that should only be taken up in the most necessary of situations- and those are really always few and far between.
At the heart of things, I’m completely anti war- thinking that diplomacy is the primary way of political dealings- but I also realize that war making is big business, very big business, like pharma companies, these industries provide the weapons of choice to fight that which should be avoided at all costs.
Example- diplomacy over war
Example- proper nutrition, clean water and clean food as well as clean living over pharma drugs and jabs
Perhaps I’m too much of an idealist? Oh well I can’t change now
(sorry for the ramble)
Oh dear Penny, you are of course excused. Who would not want peace, except bought politicians and arms producers. But the world of politicians is rarely guided by the wishes of the small citizen.
I white on a side, where interesting about the topic war to read is. https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/dissecting-west-point-think-tanks
I wish you and your family, and all commentators here, a nice summer. May it not end in an Armageddon!
Hi Gallier the Elder
You’re right the world of politics is rarely guided by the small citizen, perhaps locally, but even that is subjected to outside influence in ways it should not be.
I’m going to check out the linked piece.
And here’s hoping we all have a good summer, starting today the first day of summer and the summer solstice- Armegeddon is on my mind. War and financially for many many people.
I have read about the effects of the thermobaric bombs and they read like the stuff of nightmares-
pretty sure everyone here knows what they are, but, in case
they are also known as vacuum bombs and like a vacuum cleaner they “suck everything up or out” or like a vacuum- the create a void, or an emptiness in the human body
Hi Penny: Today is June 17. For the information of your readers, they may find that they are blocked in trying to read some honest journalism. One solution, at least for the present, is to install the TOR browser. This worked for me this morning.
Radar
Blocked resources are blocked, can’t be helped. But using TOR to bypass is not something I would recommend. There is not concrete signs, but enough speculation that U.S agency has control over several exit nodes where they could sniff data and use normal users to hide their own Covert traffic.
Hi Kaz, well that’s interesting!
See this stuff is out of my league- I’m having difficulties understanding this site and managing it on my own- but it’s a learning curve and I’m trying!
In laymen terms, and this going to be rough to explain.
While using a car you have to from Location A to Location B. But while you could go in one go, which you would normally do(like how normal internet works).
Now with Tor you move from Location A to Location B making use of several warehouses between the two spots.
So instead of making a direct passage to Location B, you now go to a warehouse where you leave your car. The people in the warehouse blindfold you and move you from one warehouse to the other until you get to your destination. At your destination you pick up your package and get moved back to the warehouse you left your car(might be a different warehouse aswell, part of the service). This way is someone was following you, they would have a hard time figuring out who was in what transport and keep things under the radar so to say. Specially if there is a high volume of people making use of the service, you wouldn’t be able to connect the dots.
This is a very rough explanation and does not translate 1 to 1, but idea should be correct
Thanks for the suggestion radar! 🙂
I can’t speak to TOR myself, but, if others can and do use it and they can get here to read- that’s great!
[…] Ukraine’s Armor Appears To Have A Russian Attack Helicopter Problem […]