File image.
Russian attack helicopters appear to be taking a more active role in repelling Ukraine’s repeated drone attacks on the country’s territories.
During one of the recent Ukrainian attack on Russia, a Ka-52 attack helicopter took done a fixed-wing suicide drone with its mobile semi-rigid 30 mm Shipunov 2A42 cannon. Video footage showing the successful interception was posted to social networks on May 30, although no location or date were provided.
The 2a42 lowest rate of fire is 200–300 rounds per minute and can get as high as 550–800 rounds per minute with a muzzle velocity of 960 meters per second. The cannon’s effective firing range is 2,000 meters, but can fire at targets up to 4,000 meters away.
Typically, the Ka-52 carries some 460 30 mm rounds for the cannon, which has a dual-feeding system, allowing it to fire both armor-piercing and high-explosive fragmentation ammunition.
In addition to its powerful cannon, the Ka-52 can be armed with Igla-V heat-seeking air-to-air missiles to hunt down drones and other aerial targets from up to five kilometers. The helicopters’ primary anti-tank weapon, the 9K121 Vikhr laser-guided missile, can be also used to engage such slow moving aerial targets with a range of 10-12 kilometers.
Footage released just a day earlier showed a Ka-52 engaging a Ukrainian suicide drone with a missile, most likely an Igla-V, somewhere over Russia.
Helicopters are very suitable for intercepting drones, as they can fly at low altitudes and speeds. Russian attack helicopters, like the Ka-52, are equipped with advanced electro-optical systems that are capable of detecting such slow and small aerial targets.
According to Russian media, attack helicopters have already intercepted dozens of Ukrainian drones, proving their worth in this task.
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