Russia’s latest naval attack helicopter just might be the most fearsome ever. Moscow means to deploy the navalized adaptation of the coaxial-rotor Kamov Ka-52 aboard the Russian navy’s controversial, French-built amphibious assault ships.

Without doubt, the current gold standard for maritime attack helos is the U.S. Marine Corps’ Bell AH-1Z Viper, the latest and most capable iteration of the classic HueyCobra—the pioneering gunship that first saw combat during the Vietnam War.

Distinguished from its predecessors chiefly by its four-blade main rotor, the Viper gained entered front-line service in February 2011.

The Boeing AH-64 Apache is widely considered to be the finest attack helicopter of any kind, and it too serves aboard assault ships—although only as part of occasional deployments by the U.S. and British armies.

The latest AH-64E Guardian model debuted at sea aboard the assault ship USS Peleliu during the Rim of the Pacific exercise that took place from June 26 to Aug. 1 near Hawaii.