Bizarre footage shows Russian Ka-52 landing on Ukrainian Il-76
Can a helicopter take off from the wing of an aircraft?
According to one Russian Ka-52 pilot, the answer is yes.
Old footage that has again been making the rounds online shows a Kamov Ka-52 “Alligator” attack helicopter perched on top of an Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft before lifting off and flying away.
It is a bizarre sight. The Ka-52 appears almost comically small sitting on the much larger transport, with another Russian helicopter, possibly an Mi-8, flying past as it prepares to leave.
The footage is often described as showing a helicopter landing on an Il-76, although the video itself only shows the Ka-52 taking off. How it got there in the first place is not shown.
Russian Ka-52 filmed taking off from an Il-76
The footage previously circulated in February 2023 after being shared by the popular Russian Telegram channel Fighterbomber.
At the time, the channel suggested the stunt was an example of showing off or “air hooliganism” on the part of the helicopter pilot. Some aviation discussions were less charitable, joking that the pilot was a reckless cowboy with his flying.
Rare footage from the early days of the Russia- Ukraine war shows a ka-52 attack helicopter taking off from a IL-76 aircraft.
by u/Dependent_Ad6985 in aviation
Other suggestions included that the pilot could have been practising taking off and landing in unusual conditions, although there is little to suggest Russian forces have ever seriously considered turning old transport aircraft into improvised helicopter pads.
The precise date and location of the footage are less clear. It has subsequently been associated online with the early stages of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but the original Fighterbomber post does not appear to have established either.
What is clear is that somebody decided putting a Ka-52 on top of an Il-76 was a good idea.
Aircraft wings are not helicopter pads
It may look ridiculous, but there is no particular aerodynamic reason why the Ka-52 could not take off from the aircraft.
Once its rotors are producing enough lift, the helicopter simply gets lighter on its wheels until it is airborne. The bigger question is what happens to the aircraft underneath while the helicopter is sitting on it.
A loaded Ka-52 can weigh around 11 tonnes. Its weight is concentrated through three relatively small landing gear contact points, and aircraft wings and fuselages are not designed to have attack helicopters parked on top of them.
An Il-76 is, of course, an extremely strong aircraft. Its structure is designed to cope with huge aerodynamic loads and to carry heavy payloads, but those forces are distributed through parts of the airframe specifically designed to take them.
Dropping several tonnes onto the upper skin in the wrong place could risk denting the skin or damaging supporting structure underneath.
Purpose-built helicopter landing areas are designed with those concentrated loads in mind. FAA guidance for heliports, for example, requires load-bearing surfaces to account for the helicopter’s maximum take-off weight and considerably higher dynamic loads associated with landing.
Taking off is the kinder half of the trick. As the Ka-52 increases rotor thrust, progressively more of its weight is supported by the rotors and less by the Il-76 beneath it. Landing onto the same spot could impose much greater loads.
An Il-76 boneyard may explain the stunt
The condition of the Il-76 may also help explain why its owners were apparently unconcerned about what the Ka-52 might do to it.
The aircraft in the video appears to be non-operational, and large numbers of Ukrainian Il-76s were already in long-term storage before Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Melitopol Airfield, home to the Ukrainian Air Force’s 25th Transport Aviation Brigade, had a particularly large collection of stored Il-76s. Satellite imagery immediately before the invasion showed around 30 of the transports at the base, many of which remained after Russian forces captured the airfield.
Around 20 can still be seen in satellite imagery, suggesting many were little more than hulks rather than aircraft Russia considered worth returning to service.
If the Ka-52 in the video was sitting on one of those aircraft, concerns about dents in the roof were probably fairly low down the priority list.
Russia’s Ka-52 fleet is now heavily attrited
Meanwhile, Russia’s fleet of Kamov Ka-52 attack helicopters has sustained high attrition during the war. A total of 69 are recorded as visually lost (including damaged) by the Oryx blog.
Russia is estimated to have had around 90 operational Ka-52 units at the start of the war, and a total inventory of up to 140 of the attack helicopters, including those for training and not operational. It is unclear how many Russia has been able to replace with new builds.
October 17th ATACMS strikes on Russian helicopters at the airbases in Luhansk and Berdyansk thread:
— lost_warinua (@lost_warinua) October 19, 2023
Peremozhne, Luhansk oblast
1 Ka-52 destroyed
4 Ka-52 damaged
1 Mi-8 damaged
Geo: 48.42016, 39.37900
Source: #UkraineWar #UkraineFrontLines #warfootage #lost_warinua https://t.co/Z5GKGjTXs5 pic.twitter.com/MqczFKNVmJ
Early in the war, the Ka-52s played an important role and very prominent role against Ukrainian armour during the failed 2023 Counteroffensive.
Many were destroyed after the US supplied ATACMS missiles to Ukraine, and the fleet has had a diminished role since. As with other Russian aviation, it has become more dangerous to operate near the front and from forward bases.
At the same time, more Russian aviation assets (including Su-57s and A-50Us) have been relocated to hunt down Ukrainian drones. One of the underappreciated aspects of Ukraine’s deep strike campaign is forcing Russia to pull its air assets from the front to focus on defending the rear.
