Latest news with #MilMi-8
Forbes
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Look At What 720,000 HIMARS Fragments Did To A Russian Helicopter Base
A Russian soldier inspects HIMARS damage. On or just before March 24, a quartet of Russian helicopters—two Mil Mi-8 transports and two Kamov Ka-52 gunships—landed at an austere base somewhere in Belgorod Oblast in western Russia. Ukrainian special forces and the intelligence directorate in Kyiv were watching with at least one surveillance drone. One of the Ukrainian army's U.S.-made High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System wheeled launchers took aim. 'The target was engaged,' the special operations command reported. Four 660-pound M30 rockets, each packing 180,000 tungsten fragments, rained down from as far away as 57 miles. All four helicopters appear to have been hit. A Russian soldier and at least one dog trotted out to inspect the damage. Eight days later on Wednesday, that soldier's video circulated online—and the Estonian analyst WarTranslated translated it. 'Oh well, direct hit,' the soldier moaned as he inspected the shredded helicopters. Speaking by phone to a comrade as he recorded his battle-damage assessment, the soldier narrated in an increasingly dire tone. 'Kerosene is pouring out' of Ka-52 number 96, he reported. 'Spillage in the front.' 'Kerosene is fucking pouring' from an Mi-8, too, the soldier noted. Worse, the same helicopter took blast damage 'to the ass' that severed a rotor blade. The scale and severity of the damage was by design. With their thousands of submunitions or fragments, the M30 and the larger Army Tactical Missile System rocket—fired by the same launchers—are optimized for strikes on thin-skinned targets. People and helicopters, in particular. A Russian soldier inspects HIMARS damage. It's not for no reason that, when it tested the two-ton M39 ATACMS, the U.S. Army aimed the missile at a mock airfield where the service parked old helicopters and trucks. Footage of the test depicts submunitions tearing into the rotorcraft and vehicles. The precision strike in Belgorod came as Ukrainian brigades, having retreated from neighboring Kursk, extended a shallow incursion into the oblast. Ukrainian forces initially made modest gains by 'taking advantage of the enemy's communication and coordination problems,' according to the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies. In recent days, they've fallen back in the face of Russian counterattacks. The attack on those four helicopters was part of the wider Belgorod campaign. But it was also revenge. On March 13, 2024, Russian artillery caught a trio of Ukrainian army Mil Mi-8 or Mil Mi-17 assault helicopters on the ground in Novopavlivka, 35 miles west of what was then the front line outside the ruins of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine. A cluster munition exploded over the helicopters, ultimately destroying as many as three helicopters and killing two aviators.
Forbes
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Four Russian Helicopters Landed Near The Front Line. HIMARS Was Ready.
HIMARS strikes Russian helicopters. Sometime on or just before Monday, a quartet of Russian helicopters—two Mil Mi-8 transport and two Kamov Ka-52 gunships—landed somewhere in Belgorod Oblast in western Ukraine. Ukrainian special forces and the main intelligence directorate in Kyiv were watching with at least one drone. A Ukrainian army High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System wheeled launcher was waiting. 'The target was engaged,' the special operations command reported. Four 660-pound M30 rockets, each packing 180,000 tungsten fragments, rained down from as far away as 57 miles. All four helicopters exploded. The precision strike came as Ukrainian brigades, having retreated from neighboring Kursk Oblast, conduct small-scale raids into Belgorod. Ukrainian forces have made modest gains by 'taking advantage of the enemy's communication and coordination problems,' according to the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies. Hoping to intensify and prolong the Russians' confusion, Ukrainian air force jets bombed a Russian command post in Glotovo, in Belgorod, reportedly 'destroying its communication hub,' CDS claimed. The attack on those four helicopters is part of the wider Belgorod campaign. But it's also revenge. A year ago on March 13, 2024, Russian artillery caught a trio of Ukrainian army Mil Mi-8 or Mil Mi-17 assault helicopters on the ground in Novopavlivka, 35 miles west of what was then the front line outside the ruins of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine. A cluster munition exploded overhead of the 12th Brigade helicopters, damaging at least two of them and apparently killing two aviators: Yaroslav Kava and Andriy Bakun. One Mil managed to fly away before explosives-laden drones streaked in to finish off the two that didn't escape. That strike extended a startling streak for Russian forces in Ukraine. In a period of a week or so, the Russians knocked out their first Ukrainian HIMARS, their first launchers for a Ukrainian Patriot air-defense battery and then that pair of helicopters. It was a shocking signal that the Russians' kill-chain—the networked drones and artillery that allow them to spot targets deep behind the front line and hit them before they move—was getting better, fast. But the Ukrainians have a fast kill-chain, too—and it was dramatically on display in Belgorod on Monday. In 37 months of hard fighting, the Russians have lost around 120 helicopters: fewer than four per month. Monday's raid amounted to a month's worth of rotorcraft destruction.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Watch: Russian rescues 139 fishermen who refused to leave iceberg without a catch
Credit: Russian Emergencies Ministry A Russian emergency operation rescued 139 stranded fishermen who had initially refused help because they had not caught any fish. The group drifted over a mile out to sea after the ice sheet they were standing on broke away from the shore of the remote far-eastern Sakhalin island on Wednesday. An airlift rescue operation was launched with a helicopter and a hovercraft, but it appeared at least some of those trapped were reluctant to be taken off the ice. Officials said the fisherman refused to leave 'under any circumstances' until they had caught some fish. They were heard in footage arguing with rescuers and refusing to get in the helicopter. The men were eventually rescued and were seen shielding themselves from the wind as they boarded the Mil Mi-8 helicopter. Mikhail, one of the fishermen rescued, told Russian media many were worried about losing their equipment. He said the group 'came to fish' and believed they would be saved eventually, or that new ice would form and they would be able to walk away. The incident was reportedly the result of a 33ft crack of ice that appeared suddenly near the village of Malki. Some fisherman managed to escape immediately by jumping over the crevice before it became too wide. It was unclear why so many fishermen had gathered at the remote location but emergency services had said 'some extreme sports enthusiasts' were among the group. Rescuers said residents had been warned about setting foot on the ice by authorities as cracks were expected this week. The region has seen similar incidents before. In 2020, Russian state media reported a group of over 500 fishermen had to be saved from an ice floe that had drifted out to sea. In February 2024, at least 80 fishermen had to be rescued from a floating ice sheet near the village of Starodubskoye. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
