Experts told what is the difference between the Mi-28N and Ka-52 helicopters
Russian helicopters Mi-28N "Night Hunter" and Ka-52 "Alligator" participate in the destruction of military facilities and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the video of which is published by the Russian Defense Ministry. "Newspaper.Ru" figured out what the specifics of the use of these helicopters are.
"The Mi-28N and Mi-28UB attack helicopters of the Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed the APU armored vehicles with guided missiles. The air strike was carried out in pairs from a distance of up to five kilometers," the military department reported. The video shows recordings from the screens of weapons operators, according to which the Mi-28 destroyed at least three units of armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On March 15, the Russian Defense Ministry also published a video of the destruction of military equipment and manpower of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by Russian Ka-52M helicopters. The footage shows that the Ka-52 strikes from a 30-mm aviation cannon, destroying a military truck and a 122-mm howitzer "Acacia".
"Also, an air strike destroyed the firing position of 122-mm self-propelled artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the Russian Defense Ministry said. The crews of the Ka-52 performed missile launches on ground targets in pairs.
During the Russian military operation in Ukraine, army aviation performs the tasks of escorting convoys, destroying armored vehicles, delivering troops, military cargo, and air support units.
Both helicopters are equipped with a defense system that automatically detects missile attacks on the helicopter and takes various actions to destroy or deflect missiles. There are a number of technologies that allow the helicopter to remain unharmed during combat contact," he told the newspaper.Ru" aviaexpert, editor-in-chief of the portal Avia.Ru Roman Gusarov.
According to him, the Mi-28N and Ka-52 are conceptually different helicopters, but they were created to solve the same combat tasks.
"The Ka-52s are more maneuverable and more reliable. You can shoot off the tail of an ordinary helicopter and it will fall. If the "Alligator" gets its tail shot off, it won't fall. It is more compact for placement on the deck of warships. Of course, only one, maximum two helicopters can be based on a frigate, but these are also serious forces," explained Alexander Khramchikhin, deputy director of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis.
"Both helicopters have been performed quite successfully, so it is impossible to say which helicopter copes with the combat task more effectively, they complement each other. These helicopters have developed progressively to their current appearance. Some solutions appeared first on one helicopter, then on another, they pulled up one after another. "Night Hunter" is not a competitor to "Alligator". They work together," Gusarov said.
According to Vladimir Popov, retired Major General of the Air Force, former head of the Federal Directorate of Aerospace Search and Rescue under the Ministry of Defense, the peculiarity of the Mi-28N is its "ability to work in difficult conditions of limited visibility."
- Popov said.
According to him, the use of the Mi-28N in combat cooperation with other helicopters provides for the possibility of more effective use of weapons of destruction and the effectiveness of the assigned combat tasks.
"Together with the Mi-28N, the transport and combat Mi-8 can work, which can additionally shoot unguided projectiles against armored vehicles. And the Mi-28 will deal with more complex targets. In cooperation with the Ka-52, the Mi-28N can serve as an axial assault helicopter, and the Ka-52 itself will perform reconnaissance and strike functions. There are a lot of tactical combinations, they are selected for a specific combat task," the general summed up.
Irina Alshayeva
