A video is circulating online showing an attempt by a crew of russian Ka-52 helicopter to intercept Ukrainian FP-1 attack UAV. An interesting fact in the video is the use of an air-to-air missile, which flew past the target and failed to shoot down the Ukrainian drone.
That is, as you can see, to perform tasks to counter Ukrainian drones, russian attack helicopters use not only cannons, which has been done since 2023, but also existing missile weapons. It is also clear that the enemy has a rather difficult time using missile weapons.
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In the caption to the video, the missile is identified as the "Igla-V" - an aviation version of the Soviet-russian "Igla" MANPADS. However, the newer Igla-S anti-aircraft missile system can also be used with the Ka-52M using the "Strelets" kit.
In general, missiles of this family have an infrared seeker, which is capable of targeting aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and jet drones. However, it may have problems with capturing targets that emit little heat, which include many Ukrainian long-range UAVs, including the FP-1.
So the video allows us to see in action the weakness of infrared seekers when used against strike drones. As a result of the ineffectiveness of the missile used against the Ukrainian strike UAV, the helicopter crew was forced to continue trying to hit the target with cannon fire, which requires more effort and time.
It is worth mentioning here that the russians have now returned to the Vikhr ATGM in an air-to-air modification with a non-contact fuse. It has semi-active laser guidance, thanks to which the helicopter crew guides the missile to the target itself. This may increase the chances of shooting down such drones as the FP-1. On the Ukrainian side, the British Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM), also called the Martlet, which uses similar technology, can be used to shoot down air targets.
As Defense Express reported earlier, russian planed to modify Vikhr-1 missile for its usage against drones, but it is still difficult to say that this particular missile could have been in the video, although this option is possible. The caption to the video as well as the behavior of the missile suggest that this particular Ka-52 helicopter was trying to use the same Igla air defense system.
The use of Igla-V or Igla-S anti-aircraft missiles can be explained by the fact that they are already in the arsenal of the russian military, while a new modification of the Vikhr missile will require production. This is also not to mention the possible difference in the cost of these weapons, although it is difficult to determine exactly.
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