Kamov Ka-50/52

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamov_Ka-50

The Kamov Ka-50 "Black Shark" (Russian: ?????? ?????, translit. Chornaya Akula,
NATO reporting name: Hokum A) is a single-seat Russian attack helicopter with
the distinctive coaxial rotor system of the Kamov design bureau. It was designed
in the 1980s and adopted for service in the Russian army in 1995. It is
manufactured by the Progress company in Arsenyev. It is used as a heavily armed
scout helicopter. It is the world's first operational helicopter with a rescue
ejection system.

During the late 1990s, Kamov and Israel Aerospace Industries developed a
tandem-seat cockpit version, the Kamov Ka-50-2 "Erdogan", to compete in Turkey's
attack helicopter competition. Kamov also designed another two-seat variant, the
Kamov Ka-52 "Alligator" (Russian: ?????????, NATO reporting name: Hokum B).

The Ka-50 is the production version of the V-80Sh-1 prototype. Production of the
attack helicopter was ordered by the Soviet Council of Ministers on 14 December
1987. Development of the helicopter was first reported in the West in 1984. The
first photograph appeared in 1989. During operational testing from 1985 to 1986,
the workload on the pilot was found to be similar to that of a fighter-bomber
pilot, such that the pilot could perform both flying and navigation duties.

Like other Kamov helicopters, it features Kamov's characteristic contra-rotating
co-axial rotor system, which removes the need for the entire tail rotor assembly
and improves the aircraft's aerobatic qualities—it can perform loops, rolls and
"the funnel" (circle-strafing), where the aircraft maintains a line-of-sight to
the target while flying circles of varying altitude, elevation and airspeed
around it. The omission of the tail rotor is a qualitative advantage, because
the torque-countering tail rotor can use up to 30% of engine power. The Ka-50's
entire transmission presents a comparatively small target to ground fire.

The single-seat configuration was considered undesirable by NATO. The first two
Ka-50 prototypes had false windows painted on them. The "windows" evidently
worked, as the first western reports of the aircraft were wildly inaccurate, to
the point of some analysts even concluding that its primary mission was as an
air superiority aircraft for hunting and killing NATO attack helicopters. For
improved pilot survivability the Ka-50 is fitted with a NPP Zvezda (transl.
Star) K-37-800 ejection seat, which is a rare feature for a helicopter. Before
the rocket in the ejection seat deploys, the rotor blades are blown away by
explosive charges in the rotor disc and the canopy is jettisoned.

The Ka-50 and its modifications have been chosen as the special forces' support
helicopter, while the Mil Mi-28 has become the main army's gunship. The
production of Ka-50 was recommenced in 2006. In 2009, the Russian Air Force
received three units built from incomplete airframes dating from the mid-1990s.


Role
Attack helicopter, scout helicopter

National origin
Soviet Union / Russia

Manufacturer
Kamov

First flight
Ka-50: 17 June 1982
Ka-52: 25 June 1997

Introduction
28 August 1995

Status
In service

Primary users
Russian Air Force (VVS)
Egyptian Air Force

Produced
1990–present

Number built
Ka-50: 32
Ka-52: 100+

Unit cost

500 million rubles (approx. $16 million) as of May 2011

Developed from
Kamov V-80


Ka-50 took part in the Russian Army's operations against separatists in the
Chechen Republic during the Second Chechen War. In December 2000, a pair of
production Ka-50s arrived to the area. With the Ka-50s was a Ka-29 to provide
reconnaissance and target designation. On 6 January 2001, the Ka-50 used live
weapons against a real enemy for the first time. On 9 January, at the entry into
a mountain gorge in the area of a settlement named Komsomolskoye, a single Ka-50
accompanied by an Mi-24 used S-8 unguided rockets to destroy a warehouse full of
ammunition belonging to Chechen insurgents. On 6 February, in the forest-covered
mountain area to the south of the village of Tsentoroj, the strike group
composed of two Ka-50s and the sole Ka-29 discovered and, from a range of 3 km,
destroyed a fortified camp of insurgents using two "9K121 Vikhr" guided
missiles. 14 February, saw a similar strike group carrying out a "hunting"
mission in the area of Oak-Yurt and Hatun. In difficult conditions, pilots found
and destroyed eight targets. These missions tested the type's airframe, as well
as its on-board systems and armament. Its successful performance in difficult,
mountainous terrain once again confirmed the usefulness of the many advanced
features of the Ka-50's design, including its power and maneuverability.

Syrian Civil War

Ka-52 helicopters were spotted being deployed in support of the Russian military
intervention in the Syrian Civil War in 2015, various sources stating they were
involved in defense of the Russian base in Latakia, providing escort for search
and rescue helicopters, and supporting Russian special forces. For the first
time, Ka-52s were seen near the town of Al-Qaryatayn, liberated in early April
2016 from Daesh. They took part in the 2017 Palmyra offensive. On 12 August
2017, they took part in a Syrian paratroopers operation conducting a
reconnaissance-strike mission. On 5 May 2018 Ka-52 crashed near Mayadin, some
sources claim it was shot down using MANPAD.

The Russian Air Force has accepted 12 Ka-52 helicopters for operational service
in 2011, and the total number of completed Ka-52s was already 65 units. 20 Ka-52
aircraft were located at the 575th Airbase Chernigovsky District, Eastern
Military District. 16 were at 393rd "Sevastopol" Airbase Korenovsk, Southern
Military District, 12 were transferred to newly formed 15th Army Aviation
Brigade of the Western Military District at the airport of Ostrov, 8 – Torzhok
344th Centre for Combat Training and Flight Personnel Training. Five test
aircraft are owned by JSC "Kamov"; two machines were lost in accidents. The
Ka-52 was displayed to the international community at the 2013 Paris Air Show.

In 2013, the AAC "Progress" has completed the contract with the Ministry of
Defense of the Russian Federation, signed in 2009, and would begin the next
long-term contract for supplying 143 Ka-52, worth about 120 billion rubles
(˜US$3.5 bln).

In June 2015, Sergei Kornev, the head of Rosoboronexport’s delegation, said that
Russia has signed its first contracts on the export of Ka-52 Alligator attack
helicopters. "We have the Ka-52 in its export model and we have contracts for
it, and it’s already being spun because it has a good, firm future" he said at
the airshow outside Paris. Kornev did not specify the volume of contracts or
with whom they were signed.

Specifications (Ka-50)

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 16.0 m (52 ft)
Rotor diameter: 14.5 m (48 ft)
Height: 4.93 m (16.2 ft)
Disc area: 330.3 m² (3,555 sq ft)
Empty weight: 7,700 kg (17,000 lb)
Loaded weight: 9,800 kg (21,600 lb) , 10,400 kg (22,900 lb) for Ka-52
Max. takeoff weight: 10,800 kg (23,800 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Klimov VK-2500 turboshaft, 2,400 shp (1,800 kW) each

Performance
Never exceed speed: 350 km/h (220 mph; 190 kn) in dive
Maximum speed: 315 km/h (196 mph; 170 kn) in level flight
Cruise speed: 270 km/h (170 mph; 150 kn)
Range: 545 km (339 mi; 294 nmi)
Combat radius: 470 km (290 mi; 250 nmi)
Ferry range: 1,160 km (720 mi; 630 nmi) with 4 drop tanks
Service ceiling: 5,500 m (18,000 ft) operational, 4,000 m (13,000 ft) hover
Rate of climb: 12 m/s (2,400 ft/min)
Disc loading: 30 kg/m² (6.1 lb/sq ft)
Power/mass: 0.33 kW/kg (0.203 hp/lb)

Armament

Guns: 1× mobile semi-rigid 30 mm Shipunov 2A42 cannon (460 rounds total, dual
feeding AP or HE-Frag)

Hardpoints: 4 (6 on Ka-52) under-wing hardpoints, plus 2 on wingtips for
countermeasures or air-to-air missiles with a capacity of 2,000 kg and
provisions to carry combinations of:

*Rockets: 80 × 80 mm S-8 rockets and 20 × 122 mm S-13 rocket,

*Missiles: 2 × APU-6 Missile racks, able to accommodate a total of 12 × 9K121
Vikhr anti-tank missiles, Vympel R-73 (NATO: AA-11 Archer) air-to-air missiles,
Kh-25 semi-active laser guided tactical air-to-ground missiles

*Bombs: 4 × 250 kg (550 lb) bombs or 2 × 500 kg (1,100 lb) bombs,

*Other: 23 mm UPK-23-250 gun pods (240 rounds each), 500 L (130 US gal) external
fuel tanks. Reportedly, twin Igla light air-to-air missile launchers under each
wingtip countermeasure pod (total 4 missiles).

*Two pods on the wingtips with flare and chaff countermeasure dispensers, 4
UV-26 dispensers each (total 512 chaff/flare cartridges in each pod)



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