Defective Ka-52 attack helicopters are being given hardware and software upgrades according to the defence manufacturers who make the aircraft.
Andrey Boginsky, CEO of Russian Helicopters, told Russian media this week the modernisation plan has already been approved by the Ministry of Defence.
Mr Boginsky said: “An upgrade will affect, in particular, power generators and electro-optical vision system.
He added: “The upgraded requirements are formed on the basis of the results of Syria.
“We are already working on replacing power generators to provide more energy.
“The complex work on the Ka-52 and Mi-28 includes the modernization of electro-optical vision system.”
The Ka-52 helicopter, which is also known as Alligator, is a heavily equipped aircraft capable of destroying hostile targets including tanks, armoured and non-armoured ground targets, enemy troops and other helicopters.
It is designed to acquire targets for ground troops and field command centres as well as providing cover for landing troops, patrols and escorting military convoys.
News of the deficient helicopters comes after the Russian military’s new unmanned tanks were revealed to have also failed testing in Syria.
Moscow placed orders for dozens of Uran-9 combat ground tank despite numerous flaws which left the drone unable to carry out basic tasks.
Prototypes of the tank, also called the 766 UPDK, flopped in mechanical, reconnaissance and combat tests last year while in service in the Middle East.
A St Petersburg conference in April last year highlighted the tank’s “critical deficiencies” to Russia’s military commanders.
A panel held during the 10th all-Russian scientific conference, titled ‘Actual Problems of Protection and Security’, at the NG Kuznetsov Naval Academy disclosed the tank, which is operated remotely, could not perform tasks assigned to it.
AP Anisimov, senior research officer at the 3rd Central Research Institute of the Russian defence ministry, told army chiefs technicians lost control of the vehicle 19 times, twice for almost two hours.
In the tests, the average range of the vehicle varied at just 300-500m even in areas with low-rise buildings.
The tank also repeatedly broke down and required field repair rendering its design as a remote vehicle useless.
The report said it had low reliability in its running gear elements, the supporting and guiding rollers and suspension rings, and its chassis could not be used in ground close-combat roles for a prolonged period.
It was also revealed the electro-optic stations that allow reconnaissance and identification of targets did not operate further than 2km and its 30mm 2A72 automatic cannon delayed fire six times and failed to operate once.
The tank also cannot fire while moving because its arm lacks stabilised optics and sensors meaning it has to stop in order to fire ammunition, severely limiting its combat capabilities.
That did not stop the Russian military commissioning the tanks, the first production run of which has recently been completed.
The CEO of Kalashnikov, the defence firm which makes the tanks, explained the defects meant the tank has “a good scientific and technological potential for developing further products.”