MOSCOW. Nov 10 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian Air Force will soon receive up to 12 KA-52 Alligator (NATO designation Hokum B) multirole attack helicopters, Air Force Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Mikhailov told Interfax-Military News Agency Monday.
"Soon the Russian Air Force will receive 12 new-generation KA-52 helicopters. This Kamov-designed aircraft has retained the best performances of the predecessor, KA-50 Black Shark (NATO designation Hokum - Interfax-AVN)," the commander-in-chief said.
He said that the twin-seated KA-52 has better performance in adverse visibility. "Aerial teamwork in continuous contact to land-based command posts is also possible with this helicopter. This is the world's first helicopter capable of surviving dogfighting," he said.
According to Mikhailov, the KA-52 is much superior to the U.S. AH-64D Apache, Germany's Tiger, and South Africa's Roolvalk.
"As to the cost-to-efficiency ratio, the KA-52 is far ahead all counterparts," Mikhailov said.
The Alligator, according to the Air Force commander-in- chief, can be employed to kill low-speed aerial targets, as well as for surveillance and land forces support.
The helicopter also has an ejection system including two K- 37 ejection seats and jettisonable blades, which saves both pilots in all situations possible in combat.
The helicopter is armed with 12 Vikhr (AT-9) supersonic antitank laser-guided missiles, unified gun containers, 80 80-mm rockets, and air-to-air missiles. It is also armed with the 2A42 30-mm gun with 500 rounds. The total payload carried on four hard points amounts to 2,000kg.