The Ka-52 is a prototype Soviet Recon Helicopter that appears in Wargame: Red Dragon.
History[]
Overview[]
The Ka-52 Black Shark is one of the three top-of-the-line Soviet attack helicopters, the other two being the Ka-50 Akula and the Mi-28 Havoc. While its brothers are designed for slaying just about anything that moves on caterpillar tracks, the Ka-52 has different prey in its sights: anti-air emplacements and other aircraft, for which it is armed with two Kh-25MPU SEAD missiles and four infrared AAMs.
For an uninitiated commander, playing the highly-specialised Ka-52 can feel very strange. Sending out an attack helicopter to hunt down and destroy radar AA while avoiding heavy armour will take getting used to. Conversely, a commander not used to seeing said helicopter meandering into his/her air defence grid with an apparent complete disregard for its own safety is in for a very nasty surprise. Top-tier optics and radar-tracking ability of the missiles allow the Ka-52 to spot enemies long before anybody gets a bead on it, and the Kh-25MPU itself outranges any radar AA; only the M727 I-HAWK PIP III, whose missile range equals the Kh-25MPU, is exempt. Likewise, air units sent to dispatch the Ka-52 after it wreaks utter chaos in enemy air defences are likely to get chopped to bits by either its Igla-Vs or its side-mounted autocannon.
The Ka-52 excels most at two roles: interdictor and support. Use it to pick off AA units and choppers in both roles while you and/or your allies move in dedicated attack helicopters and armoured units to sweep up everything else. Although it has excellent optics, it's very cost-ineffective to use it in the spotting role more typical for recon helis; use the much cheaper Mi-2 for that, or the Mi-8R if you absolutely must have top-tier sights.
As far as facing off against it goes, the single best unit to use against it is the US M48A3 Chaparral, the ultimate BLUFOR heli-killer. The range of the Chaparral's MIM-72Gs is only marginally inferior to the Kh-25MPU, enough for a careless commander to wander into shooting range, and it cannot be radar-locked. The Canadian M113 ADATS and the French Crotale are also excellent choices if a Chapparal isn't on hand. A high-tier air superiority fighter, like a Barak II or a Eurofighter Typhoon, is a riskier option thanks to the Ka-52's Igla-Vs (to say nothing of any enemy AA that happens to be lingering in the background), but in a scrap between plane and helicopter, the plane usually comes out on top.
Weapons[]
| Weapons | 
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Autocannon | Anti-Radar | SAM |
| Name | 2A42 | Kh-25MPU | Igla-V |
| Caliber | 30mm [KE] [AoE] | Antiradar [HEAT] [F&F] [SEAD] |
Infrared [AoE] [F&F] |
| Ammo | x 450 | x 2 | x 4 |
| Range | Ground = 1575 m Helicopters = 1575 m  Airplanes = N/A m
|
Ground = 3500 m Helicopters = N/A m Airplanes = N/A m
|
Ground = N/A m Helicopters = 2625 m Airplanes = 2100 m
|
| Accuracy | 60% | 55% | 60% |
| Stabilizer | 50% | 55% | 60% |
| AP Power | 3 | 24 | N/A |
| HE Power | 1 | N/A | 4 |
| Suppression | 69 | 150 | 160 |
| Rate of fire | 562 r/min | 3 s r/min | 20 s r/min |
