Crews of Alligator helicopters of the Western Military District (WMD) around the clock destroy strongholds of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), convoys of equipment that deliver ammunition, fuel and food to the line of contact, and also provide air fire support to Russian units. On July 18, the Russian Ministry of Defense showed footage of the work of military personnel in the NVO zone.
Also, with the help of helicopters, strikes are carried out against stationary and moving targets, armored personnel carriers, tanks, crews roaming on pickup trucks equipped with NATO mortars, sabotage groups, and sapper units.
Attack helicopters operate in mixed teams. The Alligators remain the main striking force. The attack and reconnaissance helicopters Mi-28 “Night Hunter” and Mi-8 with a group of fire support on board are involved in their cover.
A special role in the performance of combat missions is assigned to the navigators of vehicles. Often, due to changes in the line of contact, adjustment of tasks, or enemy attempts to return fire, navigators change their route already in flight. Taking into account the fact that helicopters fly at the minimum allowable altitude, at a speed of more than 300 km/h, the Alligator has to lay a new route in a matter of seconds.
“We are working on various targets, that is, strongholds, enemy manpower, where they are deployed, perhaps some armored vehicles, tanks, and the like. It depends on how the task is set and by whom the task is set. Differently. When coordinates are given, we usually look on the ground, how, why, where to fly, where to hide behind the terrain, where not to hide behind. This is when we work mainly on strong points. <…> It is very hard to see us, to catch us or hook us with something. We are working, and there are no barriers for us,” said the navigator of the Ka-52 attack helicopter with the call sign Kot.
Earlier, on July 1, the crew of the Mi-35 multi-purpose attack helicopter with fire support for the crew of the Mi-8 ZVO smashed the enemy’s camouflaged control posts (PU) and armored vehicles.
On June 27, Izvestia correspondent Dmitry Zimenkin showed one of the main advantages of the Russian Armed Forces in the special operation zone – aviation. He presented a video of the combat work of pilots on Ka-52 Alligator helicopters. The crew managed to destroy three enemy tanks at once in one sortie.
The special operation to protect Donbass, the beginning of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was made against the background of the aggravation of the situation in the region due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel“.
