The Ukrainian military said on Monday that it used US-made rockets to destroy four Russian helicopters, including a pair of Moscow’s vaunted Ka-52s.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces said that they carried out the attack deep behind the front lines in Russia’s Belgorod region and took out two Ka-52s and two Mi-8 helicopters.
SOF said that the strikes, which were coordinated with Kyiv’s GUR military intelligence agency and other units, targeted a hidden staging area in the rear that Russia uses to stage helicopter attacks against Ukraine.
Footage shared by Ukraine’s SOF and GUR showed four enemy helicopters parked in an open field. Several airstrikes could be seen in the area, followed by massive fireballs. Business Insider could not independently verify the combat video or the stated results of the operation.
Kyiv said it fired rockets from the US-provided M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, at the targets, marking the latest public disclosure of the employment of American weaponry in deep strikes into Russia.
Specifically, Ukraine identified the ammunition used as the M30A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Alternative Warhead, made by US defense giant Lockheed Martin. The GMLRS-AW variant has a range of over 40 miles and delivers a fragmenting warhead that weighs 200 pounds.
In a statement posted to the Telegram messaging app, Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces said that Russia “once again thought” that its forces were safe deep in the rear. “We have once again proven that there is nothing unattainable for the SSO,” the SOF said, using the Ukrainian acronym. It’s unclear when the strikes occurred.
The Kamov Ka-52 “Alligator” is an attack helicopter that Russian forces have used to relentlessly strike ground targets. These aircraft have been a headache for Ukrainian forces throughout the war, but especially during Kyiv’s much-anticipated 2023 summer counteroffensive.
Meanwhile, the widely recognized Mil Mi-8 is a transport helicopter that Russia uses to shuttle personnel and cargo. These aging aircraft entered service in the 1960s and are flown by dozens of countries around the world, including Ukraine.
Russia has lost at least 64 Ka-52s and 40 Mi-8 helicopters, according to Oryx, an open-source intelligence site that tracks military equipment losses on both sides of the conflict.
The recent helicopter strikes come amid ongoing cease-fire talks involving Ukraine, Russia, and the US. Kyiv and Moscow appear to have agreed to a limited reduction in targeting, sparing each other’s energy facilities. The two sides are working toward a similar arrangement regarding the Black Sea.
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