According to the decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR of December 16, 1976, work was officially started on the creation of a new generation of combat helicopter. Its main task was to be the fight against enemy armored vehicles, fire support for ground forces, escorting its own transport and landing helicopters and fighting enemy helicopters.
Army aviation was 100% equipped with transport and combat helicopters of the Mi brand, and when creating a promising combat helicopter, which was supposed to replace the Mi-24, for some time, the M. L. Mile. But the main competitor of the Milevites, the team of the Design Bureau named after NI Kamov, did not waste time in vain. Taking into account the experience of creating deck-mounted Ka-25 and Ka-27 in Lyubertsy near Moscow, on the basis of the Ukhtomsk Helicopter Plant, work began on the design of a new generation combat vehicle with a coaxial propeller scheme.
Of course, the coaxial design has both advantages and disadvantages. Among the disadvantages are the relative bulkiness, complexity and high cost and weight of the coaxial carrier system. It is also required to exclude the overlap of screws rotating towards each other when performing energetic maneuvers. At the same time, the coaxial design has a number of significant advantages over the traditional single-screw design. The absence of a tail rotor can significantly reduce the length of the helicopter, which is especially important for deck-based operations. Power losses on the tail rotor drive are eliminated, which allows increasing the thrust of the rotors, increasing the static ceiling and vertical rate of climb. In practice, it has been proven that the carrying system of a coaxial helicopter with an equal power plant is on average 15-20% more efficient than a single-rotor helicopter. At the same time, the vertical rate of climb is 4-5 m / s higher, and the increase in altitude reaches 1000 m. A helicopter with a coaxial carrier system is capable of performing maneuvers that are impossible or very difficult to repeat on a traditional helicopter. So, the helicopters of the "Kamov" company have demonstrated the ability to make energetic "flat" turns with large slip angles, in the entire range of flight speeds. This not only improves takeoff and landing characteristics and allows you to compensate for gusts of wind, but also makes it possible to quickly orient the sights and weapons towards the target. Due to the more modest geometric dimensions of coaxial helicopters, with the same flight weight and power density, they have lower moments of inertia, which gives better maneuverability in the vertical plane. The absence of a vulnerable tail rotor with intermediate and tail gears and control rods has a positive effect on increasing survivability.
Compared to the "Milev" machine of the traditional layout and layout, the design of the "Kamov" helicopter contained a large coefficient of novelty and a number of fundamentally new technical solutions that were not previously used not only in domestic, but also in the world helicopter industry. The design of the helicopter, which received the working designation B-80, was carried out from the very beginning in a single-seat version. This caused fierce criticism from opponents of the project, but the designers of the "Kamov" company hoped that thanks to the use of a highly automated sighting-aerobatic-navigation system and promising long-range guided weapons, it would be possible to surpass all existing and promising combat helicopters in combat effectiveness. In order to ensure the tracking of the detected targets and the guidance of missiles at them without the participation of the pilot, the all-day television automatic sighting system "Shkval" was installed on the helicopter, which later received the designation Ka-50. The TV image stabilization system and the automatic target tracking device, based on the principle of storing the visual image of the target, has a narrow and wide field of view, line-of-sight deviation angles: in elevation from + 15 ° … -80 °, in azimuth ± 35 °. Target detection in automatic terrain scanning mode is possible at a distance of up to 12 km. Having detected and identified the target on the television screen, the pilot engages and begins the approach. After the transition to automatic target tracking upon reaching the permitted range, the missile is launched. An indicator is installed in the helicopter cockpit against the background of the ILS-31 windshield. A helmet-mounted sight of the pilot "Obzor-800" is integrated into the PRNK "Rubicon". Target designation is carried out by turning the pilot's head within ± 60 ° horizontally and -20 ° … + 45 ° vertically. The Shkval sighting system was also tested on the anti-tank modification of the Su-25T attack aircraft. Just like on the attack aircraft, the long-range supersonic ATGM "Whirlwind" with laser guidance was to become the main weapon of the "Kamov" helicopter. ATGM 9K121 "Whirlwind" with a guided missile 9M127 was submitted for testing in 1985.
In the 80s of the last century "Whirlwind" had very high characteristics and had no analogues. The defeat of small targets was possible at a distance of up to 10 km. At a rocket speed of up to 610 m / s, it flew a distance of 4000 m in 9 s. This allows you to consistently fire multiple targets and helps to reduce the vulnerability of the helicopter during an attack. The missile launch range exceeded the effective engagement zone of the then army mobile air defense systems of NATO countries: ZAK M163 Vulcan, AMX-13 DCA and Gepard, SAM MIM-72 Chaparral, Roland and Rapier. Moreover, in exercises held in the late 80s, when performing simulated attacks at extremely low altitudes and disguising themselves against the background of the terrain, carriers of the Vikhr ATGM often managed to replay the Thor air defense system, the latest at that time.
The cumulative fragmentation warhead of the Whirlwind ATGM is capable of penetrating 1000 mm of homogeneous armor. Thanks to the use of the leading shaped charge, it is quite “tough” with modern tanks equipped with “reactive armor”. The main purpose of guided anti-tank missiles is to destroy enemy armored vehicles and, in part, small ground targets such as individual firing points and observation posts. However, the tests revealed that the Shkval equipment is capable of stably tracking and illuminating objects in the air with a laser rangefinder-target designator, and the 9M127 ATGM can be guided at low-speed air targets flying at speeds of up to 800 km / h. Thus, a combat helicopter with standard weapons, in addition to its main task, was able to actively fight enemy combat helicopters, turboprop transport aircraft and A-10 attack aircraft. To hit air targets ATGM "Whirlwind" is equipped with a proximity fuse with a range of 2.5-3 m.
In addition to anti-tank missiles, the helicopter was supposed to carry the entire range of unguided weapons already used on the Mi-24. But thanks to high automation, the methodology for using guided weapons and unguided missiles is practically the same. Only the aiming marks are displayed differently, which is the sign of the selected weapon. The algorithm of action is the same, in this regard, the pilot does not experience any additional difficulties when launching the NAR.
The designers managed to achieve high firing accuracy from the side 30-mm 2A42 cannon. This is largely due to the installation of the gun in the strongest and most rigid place of the fuselage - on the starboard side between the under-gear frames. Coarse aiming of the gun takes place “on the plane” - by the helicopter body, and precise aiming in the aisles of 2 ° to the left and 9 ° to the right and + 3 ° … -37 ° vertically - by a stabilized hydraulic drive connected with the teleautomatics of the Shkval complex. This makes it possible to compensate for the vibrations of the helicopter body and achieve high firing accuracy. The Ka-50 surpassed its competitor Mi-28 by about 2.5 times in firing accuracy from the cannon. In addition, the Kamovskaya vehicle had 500 rounds of ammunition, which was 2 times more than on the Mi-28. The gun has a variable rate of fire and selective power supply, with a choice of ammunition type.
The utmost attention was paid to the security of the cockpit. The total weight of the armor exceeded 300 kg. The armor was included in the power structure of the fuselage. To protect the cockpit, armor plates made of combined spaced aluminum-steel armor were used. The sides of the cockpit can withstand hits from 20-mm shells, and the flat glazing of the cockpit can withstand armor-piercing bullets of rifle caliber. The single-seat cockpit made it possible to reduce the weight of the armor and obtain a noticeable gain in the mass of the helicopter and improve its flight characteristics. An important factor was the reduction of losses inevitable in the course of hostilities among crew members, and the possibility of reducing the costs of training and maintaining flight personnel. In the event the helicopter received critical combat damage, the pilot was rescued by the K-37-800 catapult system. Before the ejection, the rotor blades were shot off.
Traditionally, the helicopter was equipped with passive means of defense: laser warning sensors and a radar warning receiver, devices for shooting IR traps and dipole reflectors. Also, the machine has implemented the entire available set of measures to increase combat survivability: armor protection and shielding of important components and systems of less important, duplication and separation of hydraulic systems, power supply, control circuits, ensuring the operation of the transmission for 30 minutes without lubrication, filling fuel tanks with damping cellular polyurethane foam hydraulic shock, their protection, the use of materials that remain functional when the structural elements are damaged. The helicopter has an active fire extinguishing system.
The helicopter with a long streamlined aircraft fuselage, from the moment the first prototype appeared, made a great impression on those who had the opportunity to see it. It combined what had never before been used in the practice of world helicopter engineering on one model: a single-seat cockpit with an ejection seat, retractable landing gear and coaxial rotors.
The first circle flight of the experimental B-80 with side number 10 took place on July 23, 1982. This instance, intended for testing new units, choosing the optimal tail unit and evaluating flight performance, had non-native TVZ-117V engines, the prototype lacked weapons and a number of standard systems. In August 1983, a second copy was handed over for testing. On this machine, a cannon was already mounted and upgraded TVZ-117VMA engines with a take-off power of 2,400 hp were installed. The second prototype with side No. 011 was used for testing the Rubicon PrPNK and weapons.
In 1984, comparative tests of the B-80 and Mi-28 began. Their results were the subject of discussion at a special commission created from leading specialists of the aviation industry and experts from the Ministry of Defense. After a rather long and at times heated discussion, most of the specialists leaned towards the "Kamov" machine. Among the advantages of the Ka-50 were a larger static ceiling and a high vertical rate of climb, as well as the presence of a promising long-range missile system. In October 1984, an order was issued by the Minister of the Aviation Industry I. S. Silaeva on preparation for serial production of B-80 in the Primorsky Territory at the Arsenyevsky Progress plant.
It would seem that the new combat helicopter should have awaited a cloudless future. But a large proportion of fundamentally new technical solutions, the lack of readiness to use a number of electronic systems and guided weapons on combat vehicles, slowed down the process of testing and fine-tuning the Ka-50. So, despite all efforts, the low-level television sighting system "Mercury", designed to ensure combat use at night, has not been brought to an acceptable level of performance. The fact that the Vikhr ATGM and laser guidance equipment were not mass-produced also played a role. Single copies of 9M127 missiles, assembled in pilot production, were supplied for testing. Due to the low reliability of the Shkval sighting system, it often refused during control fires.
Initially, the Ka-50 was supposed to fight at any time of the day and in adverse weather conditions. But the helicopter designers overestimated the capabilities of the Soviet electronics industry. As a result, it was possible to bring the avionics to an acceptable level of efficiency, ensuring helicopter piloting day and night in simple and difficult weather conditions, but effective combat use is possible only during the day. Thus, it was not through the fault of the helicopter developers that it was not possible to fully reveal the full potential of the machine.
Only in 1990 was the decision of the Commission on Military-Industrial Issues of the Council of Ministers of the USSR issued on the production of a pilot batch of Ka-50 helicopters. In May 1991, tests of the first helicopter built here began at the Progress plant in Primorye. The official acceptance of the Ka-50 into service took place in August 1995.
According to advertising information distributed at aerospace exhibitions, a helicopter with a maximum take-off weight of 10,800 kg and an internal fuel supply of 1,487 kg has a flight range of 520 km (with a PTB of 1160 km). The maximum speed in level flight is 315 km / h, in a dive - 390 km / h. The cruising flight speed is 260 km / h. The Ka-50 is capable of flying sideways at a speed of 80 km / h and backward at a speed of 90 km / h. The static flight ceiling is 4200 m. A combat load weighing up to 2000 kg can be placed on the external hardpoints. At the same time, the number of B-8V20A blocks for 80-mm NAR in comparison with the Mi-28N with the possibility of ATGM suspension is 2 times more. Total pure ATGM "Whirlwind" on board can reach 12 units. To combat an air enemy, in addition to anti-tank missiles, NAR and a cannon, R-73 air combat missiles can be suspended. The Ka-50's arsenal included the Kh-25ML laser-guided missile, which significantly increased the helicopter's capabilities for destroying highly protected point targets and especially important targets. For transportation of goods on an external sling, the helicopter is equipped with an electric winch.
The Ka-50 is capable of performing some aerobatic maneuvers that are inaccessible to other classical helicopters. So on the tests the "funnel" combat maneuver was worked out. Its essence was that at a speed of 100 to 180 km / h, the helicopter carried out a circular movement around the target, flying sideways with a negative pitch angle of 30-35 °. In this case, the target can be constantly held in the field of view of the onboard surveillance and sighting systems.
The simpler piloting technique in comparison with the Mi-24 and Mi-28 and the high maneuverability played a bad joke with the Kamovskaya machine. Ease of control and self-confidence dulled the pilots' caution, which in some cases led to dire consequences. Moreover, the helicopter remained obedient until the last moment, without warning of the danger. The first Ka-50 crash occurred on April 3, 1985. During the preparation for the demonstration of the helicopter to the highest military-political leadership of the USSR, test pilot Yevgeny Laryushin crashed due to reaching out-of-limit modes in a car with side number 10. During the investigation of the disaster, it turned out that it happened on a serviceable machine, due to the pilot exceeding the permissible negative overload when performing an unsteady descent in a spiral at a speed of less than 40 km / h. After studying the materials of the investigation of a serious flight accident, the Air Force specialists recommended making changes to the control system to "tighten" the controls in case of a dangerous approach of the blades and the output of the helicopter to unacceptable roll and overload values. For the same reasons, the maximum operational overload was limited to 3.5 g, although the machine could withstand more without consequences. The maximum permissible speed was also seriously reduced, although during the dive tests the helicopter accelerated to 460 km / h. The flight manual limits the allowable roll angle to ± 70 °, pitch angle ± 60 ° and angular rate of climb along all axes to ± 60 degrees / s. On trials, the Ka-50 repeatedly performed a "loop", but later this aerobatics was recognized as too dangerous.
However, these security measures and restrictions were not enough, the second Ka-50 crash occurred on June 17, 1998. A serial combat helicopter under the control of the head of the Center for Combat Use of the Army Aviation, Major General Boris Vorobyov, crashed due to the collision of the rotor blades. Despite the vast experience of the pilot and his highest qualifications, the aircraft was put into supercritical flight mode. After the destruction of the carrier system, the helicopter, diving at an angle of more than 80 °, collided with the ground. Due to the low altitude, the pilot did not manage to eject and died. This tragic event caused great damage to the development program of "Kamov" combat vehicles, and was used by opponents of the Ka-50 to discredit it. Until now, there are claims that the coaxial carrier system is unsuitable for use on combat helicopters due to its high vulnerability and the possibility of propeller overlap when performing intensive maneuvering. However, comparing the load-bearing coaxial system and the characteristics of the tail boom with the tail rotor on helicopters of the classical scheme, it is absolutely obvious that the vulnerability of the latter is much higher. In addition, clashing of coaxial propellers is possible only in flight modes, in which the destruction of the structure of helicopters with a tail rotor is guaranteed.
The first public presentation of the Ka-50 took place in 1992. In January 1992, at an international symposium in the UK, a report was read, which revealed some details regarding the attack helicopter. In February of the same year, the Ka-50 was demonstrated to representatives of the defense departments of the CIS countries at an aircraft exhibition at the Belarusian Machulishche airfield. In August 1992, one of the prototypes took part in demonstration flights at Zhukovsky near Moscow. In September, the serial Ka-50 was shown at the international air show in British Farnborough. One of the prototypes with side number 05 starred in the feature film "Black Shark". The shooting was mainly carried out at the Chirchik training ground, not far from Tashkent. During the Afghan war, army aviation pilots were trained there. After the release of the film, the name "Black Shark" literally "stuck" to the helicopter.
According to information published by the Russian Helicopters holding, 17 Ka-50 helicopters have been built taking into account the prototypes of the B-80. The helicopter was formally in the series until 2008. It is clear that such a small number of combat vehicles could not significantly increase the strike potential of the Ground Forces Aviation. Nevertheless, two Ka-50s from Torzhok, as part of a combat strike group (BUG), took part in the hostilities in the North Caucasus.
The purpose of the formation of the BUG was to work out the concept of using the Ka-50 as a single combat complex. In addition to combat helicopters, the Ka-29VPNTSU reconnaissance target designator was also involved in combat tests. Before being sent to the area of the "counter-terrorist operation", the avionics and the protection of the helicopters were revised. At the end of 2000, the Ka-50 and Ka-29VPNTSU arrived at the Grozny (Severny) airfield. After familiarization flights and reconnaissance of the terrain in January, the BUG pilots began to perform flights with the use of weapons of destruction against ground targets. Missions for combat use were carried out in groups: a pair of Ka-50 and Mi-24, as well as a pair of Ka-50 with the participation of Ka-29. In difficult mountain conditions with unpredictable, rapidly changing weather, the Ka-50 showed their best qualities. Affected by both the high thrust-to-weight ratio and controllability, and the absence of a long beam with a tail tail rotor, which greatly facilitated piloting in narrow gorges. One of the Ka-50, during the launch of the NAR at an extremely low altitude, received combat damage to the rotor blade, but was able to safely return to the home airfield.
Most of the targets were located in remote mountainous terrain, at an altitude of up to 1500 m. At the first stage of combat use, the main targets for strikes were: places of concentration of militants, camps, dugouts, shelters and ammunition depots. At the final stage of combat tests, the Ka-50 flew on a "free hunt", searching for targets using their own reconnaissance means. During combat missions, the 80-mm NAR S-8 and the 30-mm cannon were mainly used. The use of ATGM "Whirlwind" was quite rare. This is due both to the lack of worthy targets in the form of enemy armored vehicles, and to the small stocks of guided missiles of this type. During the execution of combat missions during 49 sorties, 929 S-8 missiles, almost 1600 30-mm shells and 3 Vikhr ATGMs were used.
During combat tests in the North Caucasus, the viability of the concept of using automated PRPNK on single-seat combat helicopters, which removed a significant load from the pilot, was confirmed. The experience of the Ka-50 combat operations in Chechnya showed that the Rubicon PrPNK made it possible to use the entire range of airborne weapons in one run for different purposes. To effectively engage targets in narrow mountain gorges and other hard-to-reach places, it was required to use all the maneuverable capabilities of the helicopter and its altitude characteristics. At the same time, the high reliability of the coaxial helicopters and their combat survivability were confirmed.
The main drawback that emerged as a result of the military mission to Chechnya was the impossibility of effective work in the dark. The task of all-day combat use was set even when the terms of reference were issued in the late 70s, but the practical implementation of this direction began only in the mid-90s. In 1997, one of the serial helicopters was converted into the Ka-50N. The first flight of the converted machine took place on March 5, 1997.
Soon, a helicopter with night equipment paired with a Ka-50 from the Center for Combat Use of Army Aviation went to the international exhibition of weapons YEKH'97, which was held from March 16 to 20 in Abu Dhabi. According to a number of media reports, the "Victor" thermal imaging equipment manufactured by the French company Thomson was used on the night modification of the "Black Shark". Imported units were included in the domestic combined optoelectronic system "Samshit-50T".
The equipment of OES "Samshit-50T" was mounted on a gyro-stabilized platform in a movable ball with a diameter of 640 mm. The spherical head, installed in the nose compartment of the fuselage above the optical window of the standard daytime laser-television complex "Shkval", has one large and three small windows. UES "Samshit-50T" at night provides detection of single objects of armored vehicles at a distance of at least 7 km and weapon guidance from 4.5-5 km. In addition to the optoelectronic equipment, the helicopter, known as the Ka-50Sh, provided for the installation of an Arbalet radar station, a satellite navigation system, and a liquid crystal display with a digital terrain map display. The range of weapons for all-day modification does not differ from the serial Ka-50, but at the same time, the possibilities for using weapons at night are significantly expanded. Later, despite the encouraging test results, the night modification of the "Black Shark" was not serially built, and the resulting developments were used on the two-seat Ka-52.
June 17, 2017 marks 35 years since the first flight of the prototype (B-80) of the Ka-50 combat helicopter. But, unfortunately, the vehicle, which had outstanding combat and flight characteristics, was built in a very limited series. The formal adoption of the "Black Shark" into service coincided with the time of "economic reforms" and a total reduction in defense programs. Despite the huge interest from foreign intelligence services, overseas buyers traditionally prefer to buy cars, built in large series, which have cured the main "childhood sores". In addition, as already mentioned, the Vikhr guided missile system also remained small-scale, and there were no guarantees that the Ka-50 delivered for export would be equipped with the required number of missiles in the future. According to rumors leaked to the media, in the 1990s, Western intelligence agencies attempted to acquire one helicopter for "familiarization purposes." At that time, the most modern weapons, including the latest fighters and air defense systems, were leaving Russia and the CIS countries for the West. Fortunately, our "Western partners" did not manage to "hook" the "Black Shark".
According to Military Balance 2016, there is currently no Ka-50 in the combat helicopter regiments of the army aviation. Several aircraft in flight condition are located on the territory of the Ukhtomsk Helicopter Plant and at the 344th Center for Combat Training and Retraining of Flight Personnel of the Russian Army Aviation in Torzhok. Where they are used in various kinds of experiments, for testing weapons systems and avionics, as well as for training purposes.
On September 9, 2016, a monument to the Ka-50 Black Shark combat helicopter was solemnly unveiled in the Far East Arsenyev on Glory Square. The basis for the monument was the glider of a helicopter built at the Progress aircraft plant more than 20 years ago.
Despite the scanty order for the construction of the Ka-50 for the Russian armed forces and the failure to export deliveries, the Kamov company management made considerable efforts to promote its combat helicopter. In particular, in order to participate in the tender announced by Turkey in 1997, work began on the creation of a two-seat modification of the Ka-50-2 Erdogan. Until 2010, the Turkish Ministry of Defense wanted to receive 145 modern anti-tank helicopters under the ATAK program. In addition to the Russian company Kamov, applications for participation in the competition were submitted by the European consortium Eurocotper, the Italian Agusta Westland, the American Bell Helicopters and Boeing.
Since the Turks wanted to get a two-seater car with avionics and Western standard weapons, the Israeli company Lahav Division, which was part of Israel Aerospace Industries, was attracted as a subcontractor. In March 1999, the Kamov company showed the customer a prototype built on the basis of the Ka-50 helicopter. In fact, it was a semi-finished product, with a two-seater cockpit, borrowed from the Ka-52, and partially equipped with new avionics. Alterations to the airframe structure mainly affected the front of the fuselage, which made it possible to maintain the dimensions of the Ka-50. Aside from the cockpit, the most noticeable exterior change is the larger wing span with six suspension points. Flight data has not changed much compared to the single-seat prototype. Increased by 500 kg, the maximum take-off weight was planned to be compensated after the installation of TV3-117VMA engines with a capacity of 2200 hp each. A two-seater helicopter with such a power plant could reach a maximum speed of 300 km / h, cruising speed - 275 km / h.
At the request of the customer, the armament of the helicopter was reworked. Instead of Russian guided anti-tank missiles "Whirlwind", the AGM-114 Hellfire ATGM was planned, the 80-mm NAR S-8 was supposed to be replaced with 70-mm Hydra rockets, and the powerful 30-mm 2A42 gun was planned to be replaced by a 20-mm cannon of the French company GIAT. At the disposal of the crew was to be a developed complex of electronic equipment, ensuring the search and detection of targets with the subsequent use of all available weapons. The avionics developed by Lahav Division had an open architecture and were built according to existing Western standards. The main means of observing and detecting targets was to be an optical-electronic sighting system HMOPS with stabilized day and night channels. The onboard equipment was supposed to include a laser rangefinder-target designator.
From the very beginning, the Turks have shown themselves to be very capricious partners. The requirements for the appearance of a combat helicopter changed several times during the competition, which implied a number of noticeable changes in the design. At a certain stage, the customer was not satisfied with the layout of the cockpit: the Turkish military expressed a desire to get a helicopter with a tandem crew arrangement, as on Western-made combat helicopters. In September 1999, the Turks were presented with a full-size model of the Ka-50-2, which met the requirements. Then the question arose about financing the construction of a real prototype. However, it soon became known that the American AH-1Z King Cobra from Bell Helicopters was chosen as the winner of the competition. After that, the Turkish side began to demand the establishment of licensed production at home and the transfer of a number of secret technologies. At the same time, the customer was ready to pay for the construction of only 50 vehicles. The Americans considered such conditions unacceptable, and the deal fell through. As a result, the Turks chose the most budgetary option presented by the Italian company AgustaWestland. The combat helicopter, created on the basis of the A129 Mangusta, should be built at the enterprises of the Turkish company Turkish Aerospace Industries. In total, it is planned to build 60 promising anti-tank helicopters.
Even at the design stage of the single-seat Ka-50, it was planned to create a two-seat command vehicle unified with it on the airframe with an improved reconnaissance airborne complex, designed to coordinate the actions of a combat group of attack helicopters. The production of an experimental two-seater model began in 1996 at the Ukhtomsk Helicopter Plant. For this, a glider of one of the serial Ka-50 was used. The front part of the fuselage was dismantled on a single-seater machine, instead of which a new one was docked, with the location of the pilot's workplaces "shoulder to shoulder". The Ka-52 inherited about 85% of the technical solutions used on the Ka-50. In order to select the optimal option on a two-seater vehicle, several sighting and survey systems were tested. The helicopter with side number 061, painted in black and with a large inscription on the board "Alligator", was first presented to the general public on November 19, 1996.
The crew enters the cockpit through the hinged canopy flaps. Helicopter controls are duplicated, which allows the Ka-52 to be used for training purposes. Compared to the Black Shark, the Alligator's weapons and search equipment have been significantly changed. Initially, the "Samshit-E" OES was installed on a two-seater vehicle in the upper part of the fuselage immediately behind the cockpit. In terms of its characteristics, this equipment is in many respects similar to the one that was tested on the Ka-50N. In the future, the two-seater vehicle received a more advanced avionics, allowing it to operate at any time of the day.
The adjustment of the Alligator avionics to the level that would suit the military continued until 2006. In 2008, simultaneously with the end of the first stage of state tests of the Ka-52, it was decided to release the pilot batch. The helicopter entered service with army aviation in 2011. According to Military Balance 2017, the Russian military has over 100 Ka-52s. According to Russian sources, a total of 146 Alligators have been ordered.
In the process of fine-tuning the latest series of helicopters was installed a multifunctional complex of a new generation "Argument-2000" with an open architecture. It consists of a two-channel RN01 "Arbalet-52" radar, a PNK-37DM flight and navigation system, a TOES-520 round-the-clock surveillance and flight system with a ball-shaped head under the nose of the cockpit, and a BKS-50 communication equipment complex. All the necessary information is displayed on multifunctional color displays and helmet-mounted indicators of pilots.
The "Crossbow" radar provides data for aiming and navigation systems, informs about air targets, warns of obstacles in flight at low altitude and dangerous meteorological phenomena. According to the advertising brochures of the Kamov company, a radar with an antenna in the bow is installed on the Ka-52 variant with the most advanced avionics. It is designed to search and attack ground targets, as well as to perform low-altitude flight in difficult weather conditions and at night. Another radar channel with an overhead antenna provides all-round control of the air situation and notifies the crew about missile launches. Under the bow of the Alligator is the GOES-451 optoelectronic system with thermal and TV cameras, a laser rangefinder-target designator, an ATGM guidance system and TOES-520 equipment for night flights. The range of detection and recognition of targets during the day is 10-12 km, at night - 6 km.
The unguided and artillery armament of the Ka-52 remained the same as on the Ka-50. But in terms of guided anti-tank weapons, a step back was taken. One of the main advantages of the Ka-50 over the Mi-24 and Mi-28 in the past was considered the possibility of using long-range and high-speed guided Vikhr missiles. However, it was not possible to establish mass production of the Vikhr ATGM. Serial Ka-52s are equipped with 9K113U "Shturm-VU" ATGMs with ATGMs of the "Attack" family. In contrast to the early modifications of the "Shturm" with a radio command guidance system, the new missiles can be used from launch vehicles equipped with a laser-beam control channel. The Alligator's arsenal includes 9M120-1 missiles with a tandem cumulative warhead, designed to combat armored vehicles and 9M120F-1 volume-detonating warheads. The maximum firing range is 6000 m.
The desire to maintain the security of the cockpit, components and assemblies at the level of a single-seat vehicle, the installation of a new avionics and the second pilot's workplace led to an increase in the take-off weight of the Ka-52 helicopter, which in turn could not but affect the flight data. The normal takeoff weight of a two-seater helicopter increased by 600 kg compared to the Ka-50, and the static ceiling decreased by 400 m. The increase in the weight of the vehicle and the increase in drag led to a drop in the maximum and cruising flight speed. In order to compensate for the deterioration of the main characteristics of the helicopter, the designers did a great job. So, after blowing in the wind tunnel, the shape of the front of the cockpit was chosen, which, in terms of its frontal resistance, became close to the single Ka-50.
The speed and ceiling of the helicopter were improved after installing more powerful VK-2500 turboshaft engines. Thanks to the improvements introduced, the heavier Ka-52 is capable of performing in the air the same figures as the Ka-50.
In June 2011, Russia and France signed a contract for the construction of two Mistral-class multipurpose amphibious assault helicopter carriers. The air group of each ship was to include 16 combat and transport-assault helicopters. Naturally, only the "Ka" rotorcraft could claim this role in our country. In the past, the Ka-29 transport-combat helicopter was created to be based on the Soviet BDK 1174 project, capable, in addition to delivering cargo and landing, to provide fire support and fight against enemy armored vehicles. In 2011, the Navy had three dozen Ka-29s that could be overhauled and these machines, after repair, were still capable of being in active operation for 10-15 years. But there was no modern deck-based attack helicopter in the Russian fleet.
Therefore, simultaneously with the conclusion of the contract for the Mistrals, the accelerated development of the deck version of the Ka-52 began. Already in September 2011, the media appeared footage from the exercises that took place in the Barents Sea, during which the helicopter, designated Ka-52K "Katran", landed on the helipad of the large anti-submarine ship, project 1155 "Vice-Admiral Kulakov". The order for the supply of 32 deck helicopters was placed in April 2014. The Ka-52K is being built at the Progress plant in Arsenyev. On March 7, 2015, the first flight of the Ka-52K shipborne helicopter, built at the Arsenyevskaya Aviation Company Progress named after NI Sazykin, took place.
The main characteristics of the Ka-52K are inherited from the base model, but due to its specific purpose, there are a number of differences in avionics and design. To save space on the ship, the coaxial propellers and wing consoles are foldable. The chassis is reinforced, the main components and assemblies have a marine anti-corrosion treatment. The avionics and armament of the carrier-based combat helicopter as a whole had to correspond to the capabilities of the most advanced modification of the Ka-52. However, there is information that "Katran" on consoles of increased carrying capacity will be able to carry anti-ship missiles Kh-31 and Kh-35, as well as issue target designation to coast-based missile systems "Bal". But to implement these plans, the helicopter must be equipped with an airborne radar with a surface target detection range of at least 200 km. It is possible that the Ka-52K will also receive additional opportunities for the use of anti-submarine weapons.
There is reason to believe that the bulk of the "Katrans" built for deployment on the "Mistrals" not delivered to Russia will be sent to Egypt. As you know, this country has become a buyer of French UDCs. Information about the Egyptian order is contradictory: a number of sources say that 46 Ka-52K are to be sent to the land of the pyramids. However, this number is several times higher than the needs of the Egyptian Navy, and probably we are also talking about helicopters that are intended for the Air Force. The contract, worth about $ 1.5 billion, includes, in addition to the supply of helicopters, service maintenance, the purchase of spare parts and the training of pilots and ground personnel. The export cost of one Ka-50 is estimated at $ 22 million, which is slightly higher than the cost of the Mi-28N, but significantly less than the price of the AH-64D Apache Longbow (Block III).
In March 2016, several Ka-52s reinforced the Russian air force in Syria. After adaptation to local conditions and missions for additional reconnaissance of targets, starting in April, they are used in various combat operations.
Observers note the prominent role of the Alligators in the battles for the liberation of Palmyra. Helicopters mainly carried out massive attacks with unguided missiles on the positions of the militants. But in a number of cases, the use of ATGMs against vehicles and armored vehicles of the Islamists was noted at night. The air group of the aircraft group "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov", which made a military campaign to the Syrian coast, also had two carrier-based Ka-52Ks.
Today, combat helicopters available in the Russian army are not only a powerful means of fire support, but also, perhaps, the most effective anti-tank force. At the same time, a paradoxical situation has developed in our country, when simultaneously with combat helicopters of the Mi-24 family, two new types with similar fire capabilities are operated: Mi-28N and Ka-52. Although the Ka-50 was declared the winner of the competition announced during the Soviet era as part of the creation of a promising combat helicopter, the management of the Milev company, using their connections in the Ministry of Defense and the government, managed to push the adoption of the Mi-28N into service, which has no advantage in front of the "Kamov" cars. The situation is aggravated by the fact that if the onboard sighting and surveillance systems of new helicopters are significantly superior to similar equipment of the "twenty-four", then the complexes of guided and unguided weapons are practically the same. As in Soviet times, the main anti-tank weapon installed on serial domestic combat helicopters is the ATGM of the Shturm family. It is surprising that on Russian modern combat helicopters with very advanced surveillance and sighting systems and on-board millimeter-wave radars, there are no guided missiles with semi-active radar seeker in the ammunition load. As you know, ATGMs with radio command and guidance along the "laser path" are relatively cheap, but their use, as a rule, is possible only for visually visible targets. Radar-guided missiles have better capabilities when simultaneously firing at multiple targets, they are less restrictive for use in difficult weather conditions and at night.
