Operators from the “Khyzhaky Vysot” (Predators of the Heights) unmanned systems battalion of Ukraine’s 59th Separate Assault Brigade downed a Russian Ka-52 “Alligator” attack helicopter using a fiber-optic FPV drone, according to Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (USF).
Drone footage shows operators initially tracking a second helicopter, which stayed out of range. When the Ka-52 closed the distance, the crew guided the FPV munition into the aircraft’s wing-mounted weapons pylon.
❗️💥 The moment of the destruction of an enemy Ka-52 helicopter by an FPV drone pic.twitter.com/noklzXWYmw
— MAKS 25 🇺🇦👀 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) March 20, 2026
❗️Another video of a 🇷🇺Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter being shot down by a 🇺🇦Ukrainian FPV drone falling on the Pokrovsk direction pic.twitter.com/r3Tz5m1XWp
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) March 20, 2026
The helicopter made an emergency landing before its crew attempted to escape on foot, taking cover in a nearby trench, according to Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, commander of the 414th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade “Magyar’s Birds.”
Follow-up drone teams from the 414th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade located and killed both Russian pilots, Brovdi stated on Telegram.
The group published a longer video of the operation showing the moment of impact, the helicopter’s crash, and the reported bodies of the pilots.
The Ka-52 “Alligator,” developed by Russia’s Kamov Design Bureau, is a twin-seat, all-weather attack helicopter valued at approximately $16 million per unit. The aircraft uses a coaxial rotor system, eliminating the need for a tail rotor, and carries precision-guided munitions including the LMUR precision missile, capable of striking targets up to approximately 9.3 miles (15 km) away.
Russia has deployed the Ka-52 extensively throughout the war, primarily for close air support and anti-armor operations along the front line.
