Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter destroyed by Ukrainian anti-tank missile

Vectorkel/Shutterstock.com

In unconfirmed footage that emerged on social media on April 5, 2022, Ukrainian soldiers can be seen using a Stugna-P anti-tank guided-missile weapon system to hit and destroy a Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter as it was hovering above a forest. 

The soldiers responsible for this unusual engagement belonged to the 95th Air Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces, according to the open-source intelligence project Ukraine Weapons Tracker which shared the video. 

The Stugna-P, a domestic variant of the Skif system designed for export, is an anti-tank guided-missile system developed by the Ukrainian manufacturer Luch Design Bureau. It is conceived to destroy stationary and moving ground armored targets. It offers two types of firing modes: manual, and fire-and-forget. It can be manually guided over 50 meters and has a maximum range of 5 kilometers (3 miles). 

The platform differs from similar anti-tank systems, such as the US-made BGM-71 TOW, in its ability to be launched and controlled remotely, via a separate control station. The cost of one laser-guided missile for the Stugna-P is estimated at approximately $20,000 (€18,000). 

Open-source information suggests that this marked the 10th Ka-52 ‘Alligator’ attack helicopter of the Russian Air Force to be visually confirmed as destroyed or captured since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  

Related Posts

Subscribe

Stay updated on aviation and aerospace - subscribe to our newsletter!