Military expert Dmitry Boltenkov — on the role of army aviation in its
On October 28, 1948, the first helicopter aviation squadron was formed in Serpukhov, Moscow region. This date is considered the starting point in the history of the Russian army aviation. The squadron includes units of combat and transport helicopters.
Rotorcraft were actively used by the Soviet Army in the Afghan War and the Russian Army in the Caucasian campaigns. They were widely used in raid operations, amphibious landings, and in the fight against illegal armed groups. It is not surprising that one of the four people who have the titles of both Hero of the Soviet Union and Hero of Russia is a helicopter pilot, Colonel Nikolai Maidanov. He received the title of Hero of Russia posthumously.
On February 24, 2022, video footage of a convoy of transport and combat helicopters with paratroopers on board, guarded by combat Ka-52, Mi-28 and Mi-24, spread online. On this day, the Russian army conducted an operation to capture the Gostomel airfield north of Kiev. With minimal losses of combat helicopters, the airborne troops took control of the facility. The lead Ka-52 sustained about 18 MANPADS launches, used up all its ammunition and went on an emergency landing.
On the Internet, one could see not only videos shot by Ukrainians, but also footage captured by GoPro cameras of paratroopers and the crew of the aircraft. Less than a month later, having received another combat vehicle, the crew was hit by an anti-aircraft missile and for the first time in history ejected from a helicopter. The commander, Captain Ivan Boldyrev, and his navigator, Major Roman Kobets, became Heroes of Russia.
On the same day, a lesser-known landing force was landed to capture the Antonovsky Bridge in Kherson. In general, helicopters played a significant role in the fighting in 2022-2023.
In the summer of 2023, something happened that our army had been preparing for all the period after the Great Patriotic War, namely, the actual struggle with NATO forces. Trained by Western experts according to ALLIANCE standards and armed with NATO armored vehicles such as Leopard tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, the AFU units went on the attack.
They were stopped not only by the heroism of the Russian soldiers, but also by all kinds of weapons. Combat helicopters also played a role. When the Ukrainian Armed Forces attempted a counteroffensive in the Zaporozhye area in June 2023, only the squadron of Hero of Russia Denis Chernavin destroyed 190 enemy vehicles in 10 days, including the vaunted German and American tanks and armored vehicles. Thus, there was a battle between the Russian military machine, in fact, with NATO forces. Russia won it, not least because of the courage and skills of our pilots. In total, Denis Chernavin has about 500 combat missions in 2022-2023.
A modern helicopter is a highly mobile, well-armed combat vehicle capable of quickly moving to the lines of attack and hitting any targets. It is capable of flying at low and ultra-low altitudes, which makes it invisible to radars. Weapons in the form of a variety of guided missiles and cannons, as well as powerful radar, optoelectronic surveillance and night vision equipment, allow you to perform a wide range of tasks and destroy any enemy armored vehicles.
During the special operation, there was some change in the tasks performed by helicopters. Previously, such vehicles of the opposing sides fought with each other and even with enemy aircraft. Now, combat helicopters have become one of the means of combating long-range enemy drones. With good maneuverability and powerful weapons, including an automatic 30 mm 2A42 cannon and a variety of missiles, Russian army aviation vehicles destroy enemy drones at night. There are crews who have about 500 targets hit. At the same time, the crews have to make up to six sorties during the day.
The development of electronic warfare has led to the creation of a new version of the Mi-17 electronic warfare helicopter. Radio equipment with a wide range of settings allows us to hide the actions of our aircraft from enemy air defense systems and radio electronics. On the other hand, this complex allows you to destroy drones. Its power is enough to blind the enemy for many kilometers; there have been cases when 11 drones were immediately jammed.
Helicopters have also become one of the main means of destroying unmanned boats of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Black Sea.
Rotorcraft successfully solve their main tasks of hitting targets. The Russian Ministry of Defense often reports the following: "The Mi-28NM crew destroyed the AFU UAV control point in the area of responsibility of the Zapad group of forces. Before departure, the helicopter pilots received the coordinates of the location of the personnel and the drone control center. During the combat mission, the crew struck a light multipurpose guided missile at the specified coordinates. The target was hit. After completing the combat mission, the crew returned to their home airfield."
A major modernization of helicopters took place during the CBO. They received night vision optics, new improved radars, the ability to work directly with drones, new autopilots, and so on. Versions of the Mi-28NM and Ka-52M have appeared.
But it's not just electronics and automation that have changed the way combat helicopters look. Weapons have also become different. An LMUR guided missile with an optical homing head appeared, hitting any ground and surface enemy targets with a warhead up to 25 kg at a range of up to 25 km.
In the spring of 2026, inexpensive missiles of the Dan-T/Banderol family began to be used. They deliver 150 kg of explosives to a distance of 500 km and are cheaper than X-101 or Kalibr missiles. The main thing is that the "Parcels" are capable of carrying and launching combat helicopters. This moved them from the category of battlefield weapons to almost strategic weapons.
And recently, information has appeared about a new, even more powerful Filin rocket, which can also be carried by helicopters. Using them as carriers increases the suddenness of the impact. If the flights of strategic bombers are easily visible, then the use of rotary-wing aircraft capable of launching, roughly speaking, from a football field and secretly reaching the launch point at low altitudes is impossible to track.
The 16th, 17th, and 18th Army Aviation Brigades, the 39th, 440th, and 337th separate helicopter Regiments, and the 696th Research and Instructor Helicopter Regiment received honorary titles of Guards for solving the tasks of their military. A number of units have been awarded Orders of Russia. For example, the 344th State Center for Combat Use and Retraining of Flight Personnel of the Ministry of Defense received the Order of Suvorov. The Order of Zhukov recognizes the military achievements of the pilots of the 15th Army Aviation Brigade. The 487th separate Helicopter Regiment was awarded the Order of Kutuzov.
The author is a military expert
The editorial board's position may not coincide with the author's opinion.
