Attack Helicopter Kamov KA-52 With Severely Damaged Tail Can Still Fly

Circulating on social media, video footage shows the Russian Kamov Ka-52 attack helicopter flying low with its tail badly damaged, lacerated with the remnants of its vertical fins dangling precariously from behind.

Apart from the damaged tail, several items are seen falling from the Ka-52 right at the beginning of the video, apparently some of the equipment was discarded by the crew.

It is not known when or where the video was taken, but it appears to have taken place in southeastern Ukraine, with a section of the Black Sea coastline visible at the start.

The video appears to have been taken from the cockpit of a Ka-52 wingman, or another accompanying helicopter.

It is not known exactly what caused the damage to the tail of the helicopter, although it is strongly suspected that it was due to a MANPADS missile attack by Ukrainian troops.

The gun fire from the Ukraine caused considerable damage, but it was not enough to knock the Ka-52 out of the sky.

The point of the circulation of the video is that the Ka-52 managed to fly safely to its base.

Meanwhile, if an attack helicopter is in general, if it is hit in the tail, it will immediately 'fall'.

The two crews of the Ka-52 helicopter seem to have something to thank for their helicopter design.

Namely, one of the main features of the Ka-52 is its unconventional coaxial main rotor arrangement, which concretely eliminates the need for a tail rotor.

The Ka-52 is one of the fastest and most maneuverable attack helicopters because it uses two coaxial counter-rotation main rotors.

Thus, when the Ka-52 experiences an attack that damages the tail, the helicopter can relatively survive to make an emergency landing safely.

In conventional helicopters, the tail rotor is mounted at the end of the tail boom.

Since the tail rotor provides torque to counteract the main rotor (which rotates clockwise or counterclockwise), if it stops working, the helicopter will start rotating in the opposite direction to the main rotor.

In a conventional attack helicopter, call it like the AH-64 Apache if it flies without a tail rotor, the risks and consequences that arise can be significant.

The tail rotor has an important role in maintaining the stability and control of the helicopter.

Call it no tail rotor can cause the helicopter to enter into a condition known as uncontrolled autorotation.

Autorotation is a condition in which the helicopter experiences a decrease in speed or damage to the main engine.

In these conditions, the tail rotor usually plays an important role in maintaining the control and stability of the helicopter when landing safely.

Without the tail rotor, the helicopter may not be able to make a safe landing, which can result in danger to the pilot, passengers and the surrounding environment.