What Helicopters Does Russia Have? Attack and Transport Fleet

Russia operates about 1,500 military helicopters, the second-largest fleet in the world after the United States, built around three designs: the Mi-8 transport, the Ka-52 attack helicopter and the Mi-28 attack helicopter. Almost all were designed by the Mil and Kamov bureaus and are built by Russian Helicopters, part of the state group Rostec.

This guide covers the attack, transport and naval helicopters in Russian service in 2026, how many there are, what they do in Ukraine and how many have been lost.

What helicopters does Russia have?

Russian military helicopters are split between the Aerospace Forces, whose army aviation supports ground troops, and Naval Aviation. The National Guard, border service and emergencies ministry fly their own Mi-8s, which are not counted here.

The numbers below come from open-source fleet listings for 2025. The IISS counts fewer active aircraft for some older types, so the figures are best read as upper estimates.

Russia’s attack helicopters

The Ka-52 Alligator is the most distinctive. It has two coaxial rotors and no tail rotor, seats its crew side by side and is the only helicopter in service with ejection seats. Its main weapons are Vikhr and Ataka anti-tank missiles and the newer LMUR missile, which reaches about 14.5 km and lets the crew fire from beyond the range of short-range air defenses. The upgraded Ka-52M is now the production standard.

The Mi-28N, known as the Night Hunter, is a conventional tandem-seat gunship similar in layout to the American Apache. The Mi-28NM adds a mast-mounted radar and LMUR. The Mi-35M is the latest version of the Mi-24 Hind and is unusual in carrying up to eight troops as well as weapons. How these rank against Western types is covered in our top 10 attack helicopters.

Russia’s transport helicopters

The Mi-8, exported as the Mi-17, is the backbone of the fleet and the most-produced twin-engine helicopter in history. Current military versions, such as the armored Mi-8AMTSh, carry about 26 troops or 4 tonnes of cargo and can be armed with rockets and guns. They move troops, evacuate the wounded and carry electronic warfare equipment.

The Mi-26 is in a class of its own. It is the heaviest helicopter in series production and can lift 20 tonnes, about as much as a C-130 transport aircraft. Russia has about 45.

Russia’s naval helicopters

The navy flies the Kamov Ka-27 family from ships and shore bases. The Ka-27 hunts submarines with dipping sonar and torpedoes, the Ka-29 is an armed assault transport for naval infantry, and a few Ka-31s carry a large radar for airborne early warning. Their compact coaxial rotors suit small flight decks.

How Russia uses helicopters in Ukraine

In the first hours of the invasion Russia used helicopters for a large air assault on Hostomel airport near Kyiv, and in the weeks that followed it lost many to shoulder-fired missiles. Tactics changed quickly. Attack helicopters now stay behind the front line and either lob unguided rockets from a climbing run or fire long-range missiles. During Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive, Ka-52s firing from several kilometers back destroyed a significant number of armored vehicles.

Since then the job has shifted again. With the front saturated by small drones, helicopters are used more for hunting Ukrainian long-range drones and uncrewed boats than for attacking tanks. They have become targets themselves: Ukrainian sea drones and first-person-view drones have both shot down Russian helicopters.

How many helicopters has Russia lost?

Oryx has visually confirmed more than 150 Russian helicopters destroyed or damaged since February 2022, including more than 60 Ka-52s, roughly half the pre-war Alligator fleet. Factories at Arsenyev, Rostov-on-Don, Kazan and Ulan-Ude have kept delivering new aircraft, but the experienced crews lost in 2022 and 2023 were harder to replace. The wider picture of equipment losses is in our guide to how strong Russia’s military is.

Frequently asked questions

How many helicopters does Russia have?

About 1,500 military helicopters according to open-source fleet listings, of which roughly 780 are Mi-8 and Mi-17 transports.

What is Russia’s main attack helicopter?

The Ka-52 Alligator and the Mi-28N Night Hunter share the role. The older Mi-24 and Mi-35M are still widely used.

What is the largest Russian helicopter?

The Mi-26, which can lift 20 tonnes and is the heaviest helicopter in series production anywhere.

How many Ka-52s has Russia lost?

More than 60 have been visually confirmed as destroyed or damaged, according to Oryx.

Who builds Russian military helicopters?

Russian Helicopters, a Rostec subsidiary that combined the Mil and Kamov design bureaus.