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According to the U.K. Ministry of Defence, in the eight months since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has lost a quarter of its in-service fleet of 90 Kamov Ka-52 attack helicopters.
On Tuesday it reported that "there have been at least 23 verified losses of Russia's Ka-52 HOKUM attack helicopter" since February 24, the day the invasion began, which is equal to nearly half of Russia's total helicopter losses in Ukraine.
Hokum-B is the NATO reporting name for the Ka-52, which is used by the Russian Air Force to strike Ukrainian targets on the ground.
Oryx, a website documenting equipment losses, has photo and video evidence of 54 Russian helicopters lost in Ukraine, 53 of which were destroyed, with one captured by Ukrainian troops. Oryx confirms that 23 of these helicopters were Ka-52s.
On Monday, Ukrainian troops reported shooting down three Ka-52s in a single day.
"Around 21:30 [on 24 October], a unit of the Kherson anti-aircraft defense brigade of the Air Command Pivden (South) of the Ukrainian Air Force shot down the third Russian Ka-52 helicopter today, possibly with Ukrainian-made engines," wrote the Ukrainian Air Force Command on Telegram.
On October 12, Ukrainian Armed Forces claimed to have shot down five Ka-52s in the span of a few minutes in southern and eastern Ukraine. Video evidence, which Ukraine's Armed Forces claimed to have, has not yet been released.
Why Are Russian Helicopters So Vulnerable?
According to the U.K. Ministry of Defence, these attack helicopters have likely been vulnerable to Ukraine's man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), as Russian helicopters "frequently operate with less consistent top-cover from combat jets than they would expect under Russian military doctrine."
Ukraine has received a significant number of MANPADS from European countries and the U.S., including Grom and Stinger systems.
Russia is "still failing to maintain adequate air superiority in order to reliably carry out effective fixed wing close air support near the front line," writes the U.K. Ministry of Defence.
"Russian commanders are likely increasingly resorting to conducting high-risk attack helicopter missions as one of the few options available to provide close support for troops in combat."
There have also been reports of mechanical failures and technical issues affecting the Ka-52s. The U.K. Defence Journal writes that the "complexity of the twin-rotor assembly has increased its vulnerability to failure of vital components, reducing the ability to even fly the aircraft."
U.S.-based, independent military news outlet Defence Blog writes that the Ka-52s are suffering from "excessive vibration" created by their coaxial rotor system. This vibration, visible during take-off and landing in videos on social media, has caused damage to the helicopters and affected navigation equipment.
About the writer
Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more