Cold War KA-27 units usually worked in pairs, with one helicopter detecting a submarine and the other attacking it. Escorts and some cruisers could support this arrangement, while carriers and land bases made three-aircraft operations more practical. A third aircraft added insurance because each helicopter carried only one torpedo. Multiple attackers could also approach from different directions and bracket the target.
Chapter · 29:12-30:10
Paired and three-aircraft tactics divide ASW detection from attack
Cold War KA-27 tactics paired a detector with an attacker, while a third helicopter added insurance and another torpedo axis.