Russia is developing a new high-speed attack helicopter, a project dubbed PAK AA (Prospective Airborne Complex of Army Aviation). Military expert Brandon J. Weichert writes about this in an article for The National Interest.
According to Weichert, the helicopter's creation began in the 2010s. Russia planned to develop a replacement for the aging fleet of Soviet attack rotorcraft. It was expected to fill the niche between the Ka-52 and Mi-28N.
The annual report of the "Fazotron-NIIR" corporation published information about the development of a radar for the new helicopter. According to some reports, the program assumed that the combat platform would reach speeds of over 400-500 km/h. It will receive a VK-2500 power plant.
Will the project ever be implemented, or will the helicopter remain on the drawing board? But it could theoretically surpass all existing Russian combat platforms and be less vulnerable to ATGMs.
At the same time, the PAK AA project will only intensify the arms race. The US is already developing Future Vertical Lift, and China is developing the Z-21. However, sanctions and limited resources may slow down Russian development.
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