Russia’s Defense Ministry plans to start procuring Ka-52 Alligator helicopters for the Russian Naval Air Arm. The new helicopters could be deployed on the French built Mistral-class helicopters carriers. The Ka-52 is a modification of the Ka-50 Hokum attack helicopter; it is armed with 30-mm cannon, Vikhr (Whirlwind) laser guided anti-tank missiles, unguided rockets and bombs. Its primary sensors include a ground target search radar and an air/air radar search radar. For the target acquisition the Alligator uses the Samshite day/night equipped with thermal imaging system. The development of the Ka-52 began in 1994 with serial production commencing 14 years later. In 2009, Russia closed the first three export orders for the KA-52.
Elbit Systems Introduces a New Tactical UAS: the Hermes 650 Spark
Elbit Systems has rolled out the Hermes 650 Spark, the latest addition to its Hermes family of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS). Spark is designed to be the contemporary successor to the long-serving Hermes 450, aiming to modernize UAS fleets that currently consist of mixed 450/900 models or are exclusively equipped with the 450 variants.