The curious tactic of Russian attack helicopters against Ukrainian defenses

@DefAviation ES 3·18·2022 · 22:55 0

The Russians are meeting in Ukraine with a tenacious resistance both on the ground and in the air, and that is generating somewhat curious situations.

The destruction of a Russian Army tank by Ukrainian forces from a drone view
The damage caused by a Ukrainian MANPADS on a Russian Su-25 attack plane

Yesterday, the tweet @200_zoka spread this video in which two Russian attack helicopters, a Kamov KA-52 Alligator and a Mil Mi-28 Havoc, are seen launching unguided rockets into the sky, with an inclination of about 20º, in an attempt to bypass Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses:

In WarLeaks they have pointed out that there is a real experimental tactic and a theory behind it: the so-called hit-and-climb attack, also called a rise attack, a tactic that was already introduced by the Soviets during the Cold War. The theory is to use the helicopters in the same way as ground-based multiple rocket launchers (MLRS), which launch unguided weapons in a parabolic trajectory, allowing them to fire behind mountains and behind enemy defenses.

The problem is that the rockets launched from the helicopters are not as effective with this launch system, and also the shot loses precision, so it is not suitable to be used in areas where there are friendly units. But the Russian attack helicopters have no choice if they want to avoid being shot down by Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses.