The Russian Federation has no advantage in the air

British intelligence claims that Russia is increasingly resorting to high-risk helicopter missions to directly support troops in combat.

This is stated in an intelligence review of the British Defense Ministry.

Thus, British intelligence cites data on Russian losses among the Ka-52 helicopters. According to its data, there have been at least 23 confirmed losses of Russian Ka-52 "Alligator" attack helicopters since the invasion of Ukraine. This represents more than 25 percent of the Russian Air Force's current fleet of 90 Ka-52s and nearly half of total Russian helicopter losses in Ukraine, the British Defense Ministry said.

Russian attack helicopters are likely to have been particularly affected by Ukrainian man-portable surface-to-air missile systems because they often operate with less cover from combat aircraft than Russian military doctrine calls for.

"Russia is still unable to maintain sufficient air superiority to reliably provide effective air support near the front lines, and its artillery ammunition is running out," the review said.

"Russian commanders are likely increasingly resorting to high-risk combat helicopter missions as one of the few available options for providing direct support to troops in combat," British intelligence claims.

Author - Olena Madiak, 25/10/2022