MOSCOW, September 2. /TASS/. Russia’s troops have successfully tested the upgraded Ka-52M reconnaissance/attack helicopter in their special military operation in Ukraine, a source in the domestic defense industry told TASS on Friday.

"Currently, the Ka-52M is undergoing state trials and the military has made a decision to test the upgraded gunship in the special operation. The helicopter has proven its worth in action. Following the results of its use, defense officials gave their recommendations to the industry for finalizing and fine-tuning some systems," the source said.

TASS has no official confirmation of this information yet.

The Ka-52M is an upgraded version of the Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter. As the gunship’s designers say, the Ka-52M missile armament has been standardized with the weapons suite of the Mi-28NM helicopter, another state-of-the-art Russian attack gunship, which has helped increase its striking range considerably. The Ka-52M is also furnished with a new phased array radar station and longer-range missiles. The upgraded gunship prototype performed its debut flight on August 10, 2020.

The KA-52M design features the best technical solutions: a longer-range gyro-stabilized optoelectronic target acquisition and identification system, a new digital drive to increase the gun’s aiming accuracy, new chassis wheels with disc breaking gear and enhanced wear resistance aircraft tires. The VK-2500 engine is mounted on the upgraded rotorcraft.

Russia’s Defense Ministry signed a contract with a defense manufacturer at the Army 2022 international arms show on the delivery of the upgraded Ka-52M reconnaissance/assault helicopters to the Russian troops.