Russia’s defense ministry has published footage of a Ka-52 targeting a Ukrainian armored vehicle in the South Donetsk direction.
The video clip shows the attack helicopter firing a single missile, which descends onto the vehicle’s hull as it stands motionless in a field. A second later, the vehicle bursts into flames.
The Ka-52 is known to be armed with up to a dozen Vikhr laser-guided missiles, designed specifically to target armored vehicles, including those with reactive armor, at ranges of up to 8 km. The missiles are fitted with a high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) fragmentation warhead with contact and proximity fuses. In addition to attack helicopters, the Russian military is known to attach Vikhrs to aircraft like the Su-25 ground attack jet and some warships.