Russia Publishes Fabricated Report on 14 Drones Shot Down in a Single Ka-52 Flight

Russian propaganda outlets reported the downing of 25 Ukrainian long-range kamikaze drones during two sorties by a Ka-52M helicopter.

The Bortovoy Zhurnal Voenleta Telegram channel published a fake video claiming that 14 drones were destroyed during the first flight and 11 during the second.

To perform such tasks, the Ka-52M uses a 30-mm 2A42 automatic cannon and a GOES-451M optical-location system. This complex combines a television channel, a thermal imager, a laser rangefinder, and a laser guidance system.

The total ammunition load of the 30 mm cannon on board the helicopter is 460 shells. Based on the 25 declared targets, this amounts to about 18 shells per unit, and on the first sortie with 14 kills, approximately 32 shells per unit.

However, the 2A42 cannon on helicopters is known for its inaccuracy due to the lack of stabilization, which usually requires a large expenditure of ammunition for such a target. That is, the declared shoot-downs are on the verge of exhausting the ammunition. The Russians also claim to use explosive shells, but this is not recorded on video.

Other Ka-52 weapons

In addition to cannon armament, the Ka-52M is equipped with aviation versions of the Igla-S or Verba MANPADS. The missiles are installed in Strelets launchers, usually two units per suspension point. These weapons have infrared homing heads and are capable of hitting airborne targets at a distance of up to 5-6 kilometers.

The Potuzhny Informator Telegram channel reported that the targets recorded on video are Maya decoy drones. These drones are used by Ukrainian forces to overload air defense systems. They have a small warhead and are designed to simulate kamikaze attack drones.