Ka-52 Alligator
RussianKamov Ka-52
The Ka-52 Alligator is Russia's primary frontline attack helicopter, a twin-seat derivative of the Ka-50 Black Shark. It uses Kamov's distinctive co-axial counter-rotating rotor design — eliminating the need for a tail rotor — making it highly agile and enabling it to hover and manoeuvre in tight spaces. It is armed with the 30mm 2A42 cannon, unguided rockets, and the Vikhr anti-tank laser-guided missiles. Russia deployed Ka-52s extensively in Ukraine from February 2022.
Primary Role
Anti-armor close air support; suppress Ukrainian defensive positions ahead of Russian ground assaults
First documented use in Ukraine: 2022-02-24
Specifications
| Crew | 2 (side-by-side) |
| Main gun | 30mm 2A42 cannon (460 rounds) |
| Missiles | Vikhr ATGM (range 10 km), Igla MANPADS |
| Rockets | B-8V20A pods (80mm S-8 unguided) |
| Max speed | 300 km/h |
| Combat radius | 260 km |
| Country | Russia (Kamov) |
✓ Strengths
- •Agile co-axial rotor design — can manoeuvre without speed
- •Side-by-side seating — pilot and WSO can share dual controls
- •Ejection seat capsule — crew can eject safely
- •10 km Vikhr ATGM range provides stand-off capability
- •Night/all-weather operation via Samshit-50 FLIR
⚠ Limitations
- •Very high loss rate in Ukraine — vulnerable to MANPADS and small arms AAA
- •Co-axial design limits maximum speed vs conventional helicopters
- •Vikhr ATGM requires laser designation — vulnerable to counter-measures
- •No modern APS system to defeat MANPADs
- •Expensive (~$16M per aircraft) — losses are costly
Notable Use
Russia lost over 100 Ka-52s in Ukraine (Oryx documented) by 2024, making it the most significant helicopter loss of the war. Early in the war, Ka-52s were used for direct assault missions and suffered catastrophic losses to MANPADS (Stinger, Igla). Russia subsequently shifted Ka-52 tactics to stand-off glide bomb launches from outside MANPADS range.
Ukraine War Context
Ka-52s were prominent in the catastrophic Russian helicopter assault on Hostomel Airport on February 24, 2022. As losses mounted, Russia adapted by using Ka-52s to launch Vikhr ATGMs from 8–10 km range. Ukraine's acquisition of NASAMS and Patriot reduced Ka-52 activity over contested airspace; Russian pilots began flying below 30 meters to stay under radar coverage.