How many Russian helicopters could have covered Berdiansk and whether it was really ATACMS (satellite images)
The airfield in Berdiansk is an important airbase for the Russian army, from which Ka-52 and Mi-28 strike aircraft were constantly flying.
While the Russian Federation calls the Ukrainian armed forces’ strike on the airfield in the still-occupied Berdiansk the most serious ever, it is quite possible to estimate how many helicopters were stationed at this base.
In particular, the network has satellite images of September 29 in high resolution. More than 20 helicopters were spotted, most of which can be identified as Ka-52 attack helicopters. All machines are located in the eastern part of the airfield on the runway and taxiways.
This was Berdyansk Army Aviation Base on September 29 with more than 20 Russian helicopters. pic.twitter.com/9rnIONfVdJ
– Clash Report (@clashreport) October 17, 2023
The last publicly available satellite image from Sentenel dated October 15, which, although it has a rather poor resolution, allows us to see more than 20 objects at the airfield near Berdiansk. Their placement in the same locations allows us to confidently say that we are talking about the same helicopters.
That is, in the event of a truly effective strike, the Ukrainian Armed Forces could have inflicted more than heavy simultaneous losses on enemy army aviation. Given that 317 enemy helicopters were hit during the entire full-scale war, the destruction of more than 20 units on the ground in a single strike means the simultaneous destruction of 6% of the previous number.
And of course, the question remains whether ATACMS could have been used to strike, which the enemy is actively complaining about. In theory, yes, because according to one of the most pragmatic scenarios, its transfer should not have been announced at all. Just like the transfer of AGM-88 HARM or Storm Shadow was not announced. The main key to the effectiveness of strikes is their unexpectedness for the enemy.
This is also supported by the fact that the most logical target for ATACMS, especially in the cassette version, should be the enemy’s advanced airfields. This will allow not only to destroy the helicopters, to begin with, but also to drive them away from the front. Because against the backdrop of such strikes, the Russian Federation will be forced to pull its aircraft beyond the range of ATACMS, which will mean at least a significant reduction in its effectiveness, the number of sorties per day, and will lead to a reduction in combat load, etc.
But the fact is that the distance to the airfield in Berdiansk from the current front line is 95 kilometers or more. And such a range is quite achievable for some types of missile weapons that the Armed Forces already had.
