Kamov Ka-52 attack helicopter ( Source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Alex Beltyukov) Source- Russia & India Report Author- Alexander Korolkov Helicopters came into being after the major wars of the 20th century were fought. The helicopter had neither the altitude nor speed to work in either of the world wars fought in the last century. But the helicopter has come into its own, with a number of advantages over attack jet aircraft, as a means of battle support. Historic insight The Soviet Union built two attack helicopters in the 1980’s. Two Soviet design bureaus, Mil and Kamov, built them as a counter to the American AH-64. Test results till the end of the 80s showed the single-seater Ka-50, built on the coaxial scheme, winning over the traditional Mi-28 by Mil. The Russian Federation inherited these machines. However, at the turn of the 21st century, the Mi-28 with ‘N’ tag trumped its old rival, as a result of which the Defence Ministry decided to buy them both