File image.
On May 5, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Ka-52 attack helicopters of the Russian military’s aviation had destroyed a command center and several armored vehicles of Kiev forces in the framework of the ongoing special military operation in Ukraine.
“Army aviation pilots delivered missile strikes on a command center and a stronghold of the Ukrainian army. In their sortie, they wiped out a Ukrainian nationalists’ command center and several pieces of armor at the stronghold of Ukraine’s military,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry released footage of the attack, which took place at night time. The Ka-52 helicopters which took part in the attack were armed with 9K121 Vikhr anti-tank guided missiles and S-8 rockets.
The Vikhr, which was developed by the KBP Instrument Design Bureau, is guided by laser-beam riding. The missile has a range of up to 12 kilometers. It is armed with a 8–12 kg tandem HEAT [high-explosive anti-tank] charge that can defeat reactive armour and penetrate 1,000 mm of rolled homogeneous armour.
The S-8 is an 80 mm unguided rocket that is produced in a variety of subtypes with different warheads, including HEAT, high-explosive fragmentation, smoke, and incendiary, as well as the specialized S-8BM runway-destroying munition and the S-8DM fuel-air explosive variants. The rocket has a range of 2 to 4 kilometers.
Vikhr missiles and S-8 rockets are the main armament for Russian Ka-52 attack helicopters taking part in the ongoing operation in Ukraine.
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The Russian military has been relaying on attack helicopters, especially the Ka-52, to provide its troops in Ukraine with close air support and deliver pinpoint strikes to the rear of Kiev forces since day one of its special operation.
