Ka‑52 disaster: Friendly fire highlights Russian aerial woes
According to Russian sources, the Russian Aerospace Forces have lost another, their 58th, Ka-52 helicopter. Although the official reasons for the loss of the helicopter have not yet been announced, preliminary investigation results suggest friendly fire—once again, the Russians shot down their own aircraft.
The downing of the Ka-52 Alligator helicopter is reported by Russian-speaking sources on the Telegram service. The valuable aircraft was reportedly lost on December 18, but information about it only emerged a few days later.
According to unofficial, preliminary investigation results, the helicopter was mistakenly attacked by the Russians themselves, and the two-person crew perished in the downed aircraft. This is at least the 58th Ka-52 helicopter lost by Russia during the war in Ukraine. At least a few helicopters were shot down by their own forces.
This means that the Ka-52s constitute almost half of all helicopters lost by the Russians during this war. Production, estimated to be probably 10 to 20 units per year, does not compensate for the losses incurred, and the cost of one unit—according to contract documentation—is at least $25 million (CAD 35 million).
Problems with the Ka-52 helicopters
The unfavourable statistics for the Ka-52 may be surprising given the emphasized—pre-war—alleged modernity and resilience of this design, which is theoretically equipped with advanced self-defence systems.
The Ka-52 is also characterized by a unique rotor configuration—it does not have a tail rotor but instead has two main, coaxial rotors mounted one above the other.
The Russians have repeatedly emphasized the innovative crew evacuation system implemented in this helicopter. Both crew members sit in ejection seats—to make ejection possible, moments before launching the crew, pyrotechnic charges eject the rotor blades, thereby creating space for the evacuating crew.
This helicopter-specific solution does not enjoy the confidence of Russian pilots—available materials indicate that they do not use the ejection seats even in the event of serious helicopter damage.
