The expeditionary group of the Russian Aerospace Forces started to use, actively, the Ka-52 “Alligator” and Mil Mi-28 “Night Hunter” helicopters in Syria in 2016. Russia’s helicopters took part in the liberation of Palmyra and many other successfull operations across the country.
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Military Analysis: Russian Attack Helicopters Come of Age
The Russian Federation and the Soviet Union before it were always at the cutting edge of helicopter production. The attack helicopter has a Russian genesis, and the armed services of Russia have a longer history than anyone including arguably, that of the United States in the development of combat helicopters. Currently, when someone thinks of a combat helicopter they often time envision a Boeing Apache, Huey Cobra or a Mil Mi-24 Hind. Few realize that the Mi-24 Hind’s official acceptance in the Soviet military in 1972 follows the Cobra (1967) by only 5 years, and predates that of the Apache (1986) by 14 years. Russia has been producing and perfecting the concept of the attack helicopter for over 40 years, and originally started to pursue the concept in the 1960s. Although the Mi-24 Hind is unique in the category of attack helicopters, in that it is also a transport, later Russian designs fully embraced the singular role of attack for rotary wing aircraft…
