The Russian two-seat Ka-52 Alligator combat helicopter is a further development of the single-seat Ka-50 Black Shark. The addition of a second crew member – a navigator-weapons operator – has expanded the helicopter’s capabilities. The Ka-52 prototype made its first flight in 1997, and in 2011 the first production machines were delivered to the Russian Army Aviation.
To destroy ground targets, the helicopter is armed with a 2A42 30mm aircraft gun, unguided rockets of 80, 122 and 240mm calibre, and can carry bombs, cannon containers and other weapons weighing up to 2 t. In addition, the Ka-52 is capable of using Ataka anti-tank missiles with laser
homing heads and fighting enemy aircraft with Igla-V air-to-air missiles.