Russian forces intensify attacks, down Ukrainian helicopters
Russians, who have recently suffered noticeable losses in aviation, fiercely retaliated against the Ukrainians. A video of their successful attack on a group of Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopters has been released online. What weapon did they use?
In February alone, the Ukrainians managed to secure among others 10 Su-34 bombers, several Su-35 fighters, and a very valuable early warning and control aircraft A-50. However, this doesn’t change the fact that the Russians still have air superiority and have a significantly larger number of various types of units at their disposal. For the Ukrainians, each airplane and helicopter is worth its weight in gold, and this time they lost several units.
Attack on Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopters
The recording showing the moment of attack (which took place somewhere in the Zaporizhzhia region) was noted among others by defence analyst Jarosław Wolski. On his profile on Twitter, he noticed that the Russian reconnaissance-strike complex is now performing much better than in the initial stage of the war in Ukraine. He also highlighted the tactics used by the invaders.
According to Jarosław Wolski, a cluster munition projectile, most likely from the Tornado system, was used here, after which the damaged Ukrainian machines were subsequently hit with precision ammunition. The recording shows that the Russians managed to eliminate two Ukrainian helicopters, and damage a third one, but to a degree that allowed the pilots to fly away.
Capabilities of Mi-8 helicopters
The Mi-8 (Hip in NATO code) is a helicopter of Soviet origin, with its history dating back to the 1960s. Despite its age, it is still useful, and both sides of the conflict in Ukraine make use of it. It is classified as a multi-purpose helicopter, but it is most commonly used for the transport of soldiers and civilians. Variants used for the transport of VIPs, fuel, or even for laying and destroying minefields have been less commonly seen.
These helicopters are over 25 meters in length, and the diameter of their rotor is about 22 meters. Standard variants can transport up to about 30 soldiers or 4,000 kilograms of cargo. Their maximum speed is about 250 km/h, and the maximum flight altitude is about 4,500 meters.
These machines can also be used for combat missions. Armament depends on the variant, but standardly mounted are most often machine guns of 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm calibre. Some versions have an expanded and more dangerous arsenal, including electronic warfare systems and space for anti-tank missiles (usually 9M17P Scorpion and 9M14 Malutka).
