AUGMENTING THE HELICOPTER FLEET

From Ukraine's frontlines to India's skies, a journey through Helicopter warfare and future strategies

- P.C. KATOCH 

MOUNTING HELICOPTER LOSSES, BOTH UKRAINIAN AND Russian, in the Ukraine War has been in the news for some time now. At the same time, it is interesting to note that of the about 11,846 US helicopters deployed in the Vietnam War, US records show that 5,607 helicopter were lost, and overall the US military lost almost 10,000 aircraft, helicopters and UAVs (3,744 aircraft, 5,607 helicopters and 578 UAVs). Data also shows that in addition to the losses of Coalition Forces in Afghanistan, the US lost 10 AH-64 Apache helicopters, 14 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, 23 CH-47 Chinook helicopters and one CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter in the war.

Details of helicopter losses in the ongoing war in Ukraine will remain ambiguous primarily because of the US-led Western disinformation campaign. As of March, 21, 2024, Ukraine claims to have destroyed 310 Russian helicopters since the war began, including Kamov Ka-52 and Mil Mi-28N helicopters. However, these claims cannot be verified independently, given the fact that Western propaganda has been inflating Russian losses in all domains. How many helicopters the Ukrainian helicopters has lost is naturally not showing up on Google, META or X because of the US policy. However, given the Russian air superiority, helicopter losses on the Ukrainian should be considerable.

According to the Russian Defence Ministry, since the beginning of the special military operation, Russia has destroyed 592 aircraft, 270 helicopters and 22,932 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as also 509 anti-aircraft missile systems, 15,827 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 1,271 combat vehicles of multiple launch rocket systems, 9,081 field artillery and mortar guns, and 21,274 units of special military vehicles.