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The Ineffectiveness Of Lofted Helicopter Rockets
Published 1 years ago
Footage from a battle in Donetsk demonstrates the futility of a common tactic used by both Russian and Ukrainian attack helicopter pilots. The video shows Russian attack helicopters flying low to avoid target lock from man portable air defense systems (MANPADS), followed by the lofting of unguided rockets toward their intended target.
The tactic is intended to put fire on enemy locations while remaining outside of enemy air defense range. The angle of launch is calculated based on the distance to the target. The idea is that the rockets can be used in the same manner as a Grad type MLRS, however, the blast radius of the helicopter's rockets is tiny compared to ground launched MLR systems. The footage also shows the impacts of the rockets which most of which appear to be scattered across an uninhabited field. It's a pointless waste of both helicopter fuel and munitions.
