War

printer said:

Take off your rosy glasses and actually read what is said about them.

Attack helicopters are giving Russia the edge in the skies over southern Ukraine, says UK intel
A new intelligence briefing has announced that Russia's use of attack helicopters has allowed Putin's forces to gain an advantage in the long-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive.

According to the latest UK Ministry of Defence briefing, Russian troops have reinforced its attack helicopter forces, allowing them to gain "a temporary advantage in southern Ukraine, especially with attack helicopters employing longer-range missiles against ground targets."

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1669946425092763649

Per the briefing, new imagery depicts "over 20 extra Russian helicopters deployed to Berdyansk Airport, approximately 100km behind the front line."
Of all the Russian Air Force's attack helicopters, the Ka-52 is perhaps the most widely used. Russia is believed to have a force of 133 as of 2022.

The Ka-52 can be armed with 4,000 pounds of rockets, missiles, and a 30 mm autocannon. Some variants also have a nose-mounted forward-looking infrared camera for targeting.

Attack helicopters are giving Russia the edge in the skies over southern Ukraine, says UK intel

The Ministry of Defence has found that Russia's use of attack helicopters has given Putin's forces "a temporary advantage" in the counteroffensive.

www.businessinsider.com

Ka-52 Alligator ‘Mauls’ Ukrainian Military, Punctures Its Counteroffensive; Kyiv Fights For Fighting Falcons To Break The Impasse
Ukrainian columns were confronted with unanticipated and unpleasant surprises that included well-laid-out minefields, Russian remote mining equipment, and the use of the Kamov Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter.

In this analysis, we will focus on the role of the Ka-52M, the latest variant of the Alligator.

As observed in numerous videos posted on social media daily, the Alligators have been skillfully destroying advancing Ukrainian armor day and night in all weather.

They operate safely from outside the MANPAD range of advancing Ukrainian columns; they are protected from attacks by Ukrainian fighters by Russian Aerospace Forces (RuAF) Su-35S and Su-30MS fighters, armed with long-range RVV-BD missiles, flying over the battlefront 24×7.

The burnt wreckages of Ukrainian armored vehicles that litter the battlefield have forced Ukrainian officials, who are usually in denial, to voice concerns about the lethality of the Ka-52.

Ukrainian officials have even chided Western nations for not adequately arming Ukrainian forces. Ukraine’s pitch to NATO and the EU for the supply of F-16 fighters has become even more strident.

Some Ukrainian officials have even confirmed that Ukrainian pilots have started F-16 training in an unnamed EU nation. Ukrainian officials feel that with the F-16 in UAF inventory, the Ka-52 could not maul Ukrainian forces with the impunity it now displays.

In brief, the Ka-52’s outstanding performance can be attributed to the combination of long-range sensors and long-range attack missiles. Together, they enable a Ka-52 to engage Ukrainian armor without entering the range of MANPADS.

The fact that the Ka-52s operate without fear of being shot down by a Ukrainian fighter adds to the lethality of the helicopter.

Russia’s echeloned IADS – S-300, Buk-M3, Pantsir – prevent Ukrainian fighters from attacking Ka-52 helicopters from medium altitude, and Russian Su-35S and Su-30SM fighters prevent low-flying MiG-29 and Su-27 from approaching the battlefront.

The F-16 has capable radar and can carry long-range air-to-air missiles (such as AMRAAM) that can effectively leverage the radar’s long detection and tracking range.

Besides long-range weapons, the F-16 has better range and payload capability than UAF MiG-29s, allowing the F-16S to operate from deep within Ukraine, from air bases in West and Central Ukraine. Western air defense systems protect the airspace over West and Central Ukraine well. As a result, Russia will not be able to strike Ukrainian F-16 bases as effectively as it can strike MiG-29 air bases closer to the battlefront.

Equipped with long-range AMRAAM missiles, F-16s would threaten Ka-52 operations. Flying a low-hi-lo profile, Ukrainian Air Force (UAF) F-16s would be able to evade detection by Russian long-range AD systems, zoom up, acquire and attack a Ka-52 from medium altitude with AMRAAM, and then return to base at low altitudes. They could challenge Russian fighters flying air dominance patrols using various other tactics.

To restrict the challenges posed by UAF F-16s, Russia would need to strike F-16 bases deep in Ukraine’s interiors with long-range missiles.

Attacking F-16s parked on the ground at their home base is not viable since the aircraft are widely dispersed and often parked in hardened shelters. Cratering the runway with bombs or missiles is wasteful since such damage is quickly patched using rapid hardening concrete.

Russia will likely use a tactic that it has honed to limit the damage from Storm Shadow attacks by Ukrainian Su-24MR fighter bombers – destroy the facilities used to store the dangerous ammunition carried by aircraft.

Russia has periodically struck Ukrainian air bases to destroy Western-supplied air-to-ground ammunition such as Storm Shadow cruise missiles and HARM anti-radar missiles.

Most recently, on the night of June 26, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched a long-range maritime and airborne high-precision strike at foreign-made ammunition sent to Ukraine by Western countries.

“The goal of the strike has been achieved. All the assigned targets have been engaged,” said RuMoD.

On the night of June 23, Russia launched a long-range precision-guided group attack on radio engineering reconnaissance centers and aviation equipment of the AFU close to Kanatovo airfield (Kirovograd region) and Dnepr airfield.

The Kanatove reserve air base is used for Su-24MR operations, and the Dnepr airfield, a forward airbase of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade based at Vasylkiv, Kyiv Oblast, supports MiG-29 operations. Storm Shadow and HARM missile storage facilities were likely targeted.

Following the June 23 attack, RuMoD released a statement saying, “On June 23, a storage of Storm Shadow cruise missiles has been destroyed at a Ukrainian airbase close to Starokonstantinov (Khmelnytskyi region), in response to a strike on a road bridge across the Chongar Strait.”

Interestingly, no Storm Shadow launches have been reported since June 23.

On May 29, 2023, Russia struck the Viysk Airfield near the Khmelnytskyi, the home base of the 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade flying Sukhoi Su-24 MR, the launch platform for Storm Shadows. Following the strike, Ukrainian officials acknowledged that five aircraft and fuel & ammunition depots were put out of action.

Ukraine’s Storm Shadow launches had remained subdued for several days following the strike.

Russia has lately been limiting the use of its Kinzhal and Iskander missiles. These missiles can destroy hardened underground targets. Russia uses them to take out ammunition dumps where the Ukrainian Air Force stores Western missiles and bombs.

F-16 operations need specialized dust-proof, climate-regulated maintenance bays with expensive electronic equipment for fault diagnosis and rectification. The availability of such equipment is likely to be limited. Once destroyed, it would take some time to replace such equipment. The RuAF will likely target F-16 maintenance bays besides targeting F-16 missile underground storage facilities.

As things stand, RuAF air dominance over the battlefront and the demonstrated lethality of the Ka-52 helicopter will continue to pose severe challenges to the success of any Ukrainian counter-offensive.

Ka-52 Alligator ‘Mauls’ Ukrainian Military, Punctures Its Counteroffensive; Kyiv Fights For Fighting Falcons To Break The Impasse

The Ukrainian counter-offensive, which started on June 4 with probing attacks, faltered rather quickly due to the outstanding planning and performance of Russian forces. MUST READ: Ukraine’s ‘Cheap’ Missile Outperforms World’s Best S-400 Systems In Warzone, Wreaks Havoc On Russian Warplanes...

www.eurasiantimes.com

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CCGNZ said:

Agree,100%,we in the West were lead to believe/expect progress similar to Ukraine's Kerson offensive where stunning advances were made in the face of poorly prepared and surprised Russian forces who were overextended to the max. The Russians had months to prepare defense in depth which was also augmented w/the West dicking around in supplying Ukraine w/a dizzying managerie of armor and other systems(a maintenance nightmare) all w/ no regard to air support(how about some A-10's,while long in the tooth it's primitive tech wise and a Ukranian pilot could probably have it down in a month,I'd expect losses but damn those things can light shit up and ground troops love em,and what can Russia gain intell wise from such a old jet they already know inside out. The main point is it's suicide to attack w/ armor w/no air support, the Western blueprint is that ground troops advance only when control of the air is achieved(in terms of armored Brigade strength and ommiting spec. ops or co. strength recon. incursions),the West is asking the unachievable IMO

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