On April 14, 1953, the Ka-15 multipurpose helicopter took to the skies for the first time, which became the first mass helicopter created at the Nikolai Ilyich Kamov Design Bureau. In the future, this design bureau has repeatedly proved its worth and the merits of the chosen scheme. The trademark feature of the Kamov machines was the use of a coaxial propeller arrangement. Now, more than 60 years later, Kamov Design Bureau vehicles are a formidable and effective weapon for the Russian armed forces, capable of performing even unusual military missions.
First swallow - Ka-15
Experimental Design Bureau - 2 (OKB-2), headed by the talented designer Nikolai Ilyich Kamov, one of the founders of the Russian school of helicopter engineering, was established on October 7, 1948. In the future, it was first renamed the Ukhtomsk Helicopter Plant (UVZ), and in 1974 it was named after the chief designer. Initially, this design bureau specialized in the creation of helicopters for the Soviet navy. For many years, the hallmark of this design bureau was the coaxial propeller layout, which made it possible to create highly maneuverable and well-controlled rotorcraft, while maintaining the small dimensions of the equipment.
The first success of the design bureau can be safely called the Ka-15 helicopter, which, according to NATO codification, received a somewhat offensive designation "Chicken". It was this two-seater shipborne helicopter that became the first aircraft of the Kamov Design Bureau to be produced in a large series. A total of 354 of these helicopters were built. The new car made its first flight on April 14, 1953. It was lifted into the air by test pilot Dmitry Efremov.
The development of the Ka-15 helicopter was carried out in the early 50s of the last century. The model of the helicopter was approved by the military at the end of 1951. Designed to be placed on a ship, the Ka-15 helicopter was a very compact machine. It was almost twice as long as the Mi-1 helicopter. At the same time, the designers had to work on placing all the necessary equipment in such a small volume.
Comparative military tests of the Mi-1 helicopters (single-rotor design with a tail rotor) and Ka-15 (coaxial design) were carried out on board the cruiser Mikhail Kutuzov by the decision of the naval leadership. Due to its high maneuverability and small size, the Kamov helicopter could successfully take off and land from a small ship platform even in conditions of six-point roughness at sea. While the Mi-1 helicopter, which had a long tail boom and a tail rotor, was significantly limited in operation from the ship's deck. It could not be used when the ship was rolling and there was turbulence in the air flow. The results of the tests carried out on the cruiser "Mikhail Kutuzov" finally convinced the Soviet sailors that a coaxial scheme was necessary for ship-based helicopters.
At the same time, the flight performance characteristics of the Ka-15 helicopter obtained during the tests exceeded the design ones. A small helicopter with a pilot and a passenger on board could carry a load of 210 kg with a take-off weight of 1410 kg and an engine power of 280 hp. At the same time, the Mi-1 helicopter could take on board 255 kg of cargo with a vehicle weight of 2470 kg and an engine power of 575 hp. At the same time, the handling characteristics that were characteristic of the coaxial helicopter and the compactness of the Ka-15 helicopter made it possible to take off / land from very limited areas.
The helicopter began to enter the combat units of the Navy in 1957. But due to its low carrying capacity as an anti-submarine helicopter, the Ka-15 was ineffective. So, one helicopter could take on board only 2 sonar buoys designed to track submarines. At the same time, the control equipment was located on another helicopter, and the means of destruction of submarines (depth charges) - on the third. Also, the operation of the new vehicle in the fleet was accompanied by various malfunctions, which indicated the low reliability of the Ka-15: there was a flutter of the main rotor, as well as oscillations of the "Earth resonance" type during taxiing.
In July 1960, one of these helicopters, belonging to the 710th Separate Helicopter Regiment, crashed due to the collision of the blades that occurred after taking off from the Novonezhino airfield. In November, a similar incident was repeated again, but then the helicopter managed to land. These two cases were not the only ones. In May 1963, helicopters completely stopped flying to the USSR Navy, where new helicopters and airplanes were already ready to replace it. In DOSAAF and Aeroflot, these machines were operated until the 1970s. They were used to train cadets along with the Mi-1. Also, the helicopter was used in agriculture to pollinate crops.
Flight performance of the Ka-15:
Crew - 1 person.
The number of passengers is 1 person or 300 kg of cargo.
Overall dimensions: length - 6, 26 m, height - 3, 35 m, rotor diameter - 9, 96 m.
Empty weight - 968 kg.
Maximum takeoff weight - 1460 kg.
Engine power - 1x280 h.p.
The maximum speed is 155 km / h.
Practical range - 278 km.
Service ceiling - 3500 m.
Anti-submarine helicopter Ka-25 and multipurpose shipborne helicopter Ka-27
An important milestone in the fate of the Kamov Design Bureau was the Ka-25 helicopter. This helicopter became the key to the formation of the design bureau and the Russian naval aviation in general. Becoming the first domestic specially designed combat helicopter. The Ka-25 helicopter was intended to combat nuclear submarines of a potential enemy. For the successful solution of the tasks assigned to it and ensuring flights over a non-orientated water surface, the Ka-25 helicopter was the first in the world to install an all-round radar. Ka-25 helicopters have faithfully served in the Navy for about 30 years.
The Ka-25 anti-submarine helicopter made its first flight on May 20, 1961. The car was lifted into the sky by test pilot DK Efremov. The first production models of the helicopter were built in 1965 at the helicopter plant located in the city of Ulan-Ude. These machines marked the beginning of the successful operation of Ka-25 helicopters in the navy. It was the Ka-25 that became the first domestic combat helicopter and remained so until 1969. This year the Mi-24 army combat helicopter was created in the USSR.
The Ka-25 helicopter was built according to a twin-screw coaxial scheme and had two powerful gas turbine engines, the helicopter landing gear was four-bearing. The fuselage of the Ka-25 was all-metal. The main focus of the helicopter was the fight against enemy submarines. Therefore, its armament consisted of an AT-1 anti-submarine homing torpedo or 4-8 depth charges weighing from 50 kg to 250 kg. In addition, the helicopter had a cassette with hydroacoustic buoys, which was also suspended in its weapons compartment. This compartment was equipped with doors that could be opened using electric drives.
The Ka-25 helicopter became an excellent rotary-wing aircraft that completely suited the military sailors. In our country, the Ka-25 helicopters were in service until 1991, and the Ka-25Ts (target designation helicopter) until the mid-90s. In total, 18 different variants of this machine were created for various purposes. From 1965 to 1973, about 460 Ka-25 helicopters of all modifications were assembled in Ulan-Ude.
Flight technical characteristics of the Ka-25:
Crew - 2 people.
Number of passengers - 1 operator of anti-submarine weapons or 12 passengers.
Combat load - 1100 kg of bombs or torpedoes.
Overall dimensions: length - 9, 75 m, height - 5, 37 m, rotor diameter - 15, 74 m.
Empty weight - 4765 kg.
Maximum takeoff weight - 7500 kg.
Engine power - 2x1000 hp.
The maximum speed is 220 km / h.
Practical range - 650 km.
Service ceiling - 4000 m.
A logical continuation of the successful design was the next generation multipurpose shipborne helicopter - the Ka-27. At the same time, the effectiveness of the Soviet anti-submarine defense with the advent of this helicopter has increased significantly. On the basis of the Ka-27 helicopter, in the interests of the Navy, new helicopter complexes were built: the Ka-27PS search and rescue helicopter, the Ka-29 amphibious assault and fire support helicopter, the Ka-31 radar patrol helicopter and many others.
The first prototype of the future Ka-27 helicopter took to the skies on August 8, 1973; on December 24 of the same year, it made its first flight in a circle. Serial production of the new shipborne helicopter was launched in 1977 at the helicopter plant in the city of Kumertau. For various reasons, the development of the helicopter lasted for 9 years. The helicopter was adopted by the USSR Navy only on April 14, 1981. The helicopter is still in service. It is currently the only Russian anti-submarine helicopter. There are more than 80 such machines in service, and a total of 267 Ka-27 helicopters of various modifications were assembled.
The Ka-27 helicopter was designed according to the traditional Kamov design bureau, using two three-blade counter-rotating rotors. The fuselage of the car was all-metal. Structurally, the helicopter consists of a fuselage, a carrier system, a control system, a power plant and takeoff and landing devices. To combat enemy submarines, AT-1MV anti-submarine torpedoes, APR-23 missiles and free-fall anti-submarine aerial bombs (PLAB) of 50 kg or 250 kg caliber could be used.
Flight performance of the Ka-27:
Crew - 3 people.
Number of passengers - 3 operators or 3 passengers or 4000 kg of cargo in the cabin or 5000 kg on an external sling.
Combat load - 2000 kg of bombs, torpedoes or missiles.
Overall dimensions: length - 12, 25 m, height - 5, 4 m, rotor diameter - 15, 9 m.
Empty weight - 6100 kg.
The maximum take-off weight is 12,000 kg.
Engine power - 2x2225 hp.
The maximum speed is 290 km / h.
Practical range - 900 km.
Practical ceiling - 5000 m.
From "Black Shark" (Ka-50) to "Alligator" (Ka-52)
By the mid-70s of the last century in the Soviet Union, the main combat helicopter was the Mi-24, the "old man" remains in service today, but even then the leadership of the country's Ministry of Defense formed the opinion that this machine did not fully meet the army requirements. The helicopter, which was created according to the concept of a "flying infantry fighting vehicle" and, if necessary, could conduct not only assault actions, but also transfer a detachment of paratroopers from place to place, paid for this with a slight decrease in its combat qualities. In addition, the Soviet military received information about the development and testing of new attack helicopters in the United States (it was about the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter).
The answer to this was the creation of a new attack helicopter, which was commissioned by the Kamov Design Bureau. After successfully defending the draft design and layout, the first Ka-50 helicopter was built in May 1981. The aircraft made its first flight on June 17, 1982, the next year after the very successful Ka-27 was adopted. The Ka-50 was no less a masterpiece of the Kamovites, although it did not receive a real start in life. The Ka-50 was a full-fledged attack helicopter, which was designed to destroy enemy manpower and armored vehicles on the battlefield, as well as various enemy engineering structures.
It was a twin-engine single-seat combat helicopter with coaxial propellers. Ka-50 received a straight wing of relatively high aspect ratio and developed vertical and horizontal tail. To improve the aerodynamic characteristics of the helicopter, a retractable landing gear was used. The Ka-50 used an aircraft-type fuselage with a fairly widespread use of aluminum alloys and composite materials. Also among the features of the new helicopter could be attributed the pilot rescue system, which was based on the K-37-800 rocket and parachute system manufactured by NPP Zvezda. For a helicopter, such a system was new. It allowed the pilot to safely eject in a speed range from 0 to 400 km / h and an altitude of 0 to 4 thousand meters. Ejection was carried out by shooting off the rotor blades and shooting off the upper part of the canopy of the helicopter cockpit.
The use of composite materials, which accounted for about 30% of the total weight of the structure, made it possible to reduce the weight of individual elements of the helicopter by 20-30% compared to metal counterparts. The reliability and survivability of the vehicle was also improved. The service life of individual airframe units, thanks to new materials, has been increased by 2-2.5 times. And the labor intensity of the production of complex elements of the helicopter structure has decreased by 1.5-3 times.
The Ka-50 helicopters were produced individually in a very small series. The last vehicles were handed over to the military in 2009. A total of 15 Ka-50 Black Shark helicopters were built, including test vehicles. All of them are assigned to the 344th Center for Combat Use and Retraining of Flight Personnel of Army Aviation, while some of the machines have already been decommissioned, and some are used as teaching aids. In many ways, the helicopter became famous thanks to the feature film "Black Shark", in which he played the main role. But do not think that this car has sunk into oblivion. For the Kamov Design Bureau, the helicopter has become an invaluable experience, which made it possible to work out new technologies in practice. In the future, this experience was fully implemented in the new Ka-52 Alligator multipurpose attack helicopter.
The Ka-52 multipurpose attack helicopter has a much more successful fate. As of January 1, 2015, the Russian Air Force had 72 such helicopters in service; by 2020, the military should receive 146 Ka-52 multipurpose attack helicopters. The main difference between this machine and the Ka-50 was the appearance of a second crew member and the full ability to work in any weather conditions and at any time of the day. Initially, the Ka-50 was not intended for night combat.
The two-seat modification of the "Black Shark" was 85% unified with the Ka-50 helicopter. From its predecessor, the Alligator inherited the power plant, wing, support system, empennage, landing gear, tail and middle parts of the fuselage. Their main difference is a new front part in the form of a two-seater cockpit, in which members of the Alligator's crew were placed next to it. The cockpit is also equipped with K-37-800 ejection seats. The cockpit instrumentation was also seriously updated, where liquid crystal displays appeared instead of traditional electromechanical indicators.
The appearance of the co-pilot relieved the crew, making the car more reliable. The Ka-52 not only added a navigator operator, but also chose a non-standard cockpit layout. Usually, two crew members in attack helicopters are placed in tandem - one after the other. But on the Ka-52, the crew members sit shoulder to shoulder. In this case, the control sticks for the helicopter are located both on the right and on the left. This arrangement of the helicopter crew members had its advantages. For example, increased coherence between the pilots was achieved, and there was no need to install a second dashboard.
The electronic filling of the car has also changed significantly. The highlight of the helicopter is the RN01 Crossbow radar, which was created by the engineers of Fazotron-NIIR. Serial production of this radar began in 2011. "Crossbow" is able to simultaneously track up to 20 different targets. At the same time, the system is able to detect a tank at a distance of 12 km, an enemy attack aircraft - 15 km, and a Stinger missile - 5 km. But that's not all, this radar warns the crew about approaching obstacles such as power lines 500 meters away. In this case, the error in determining the distance to the target does not exceed 20 meters, and the angular error is 12 minutes. The Arbalet radar serves the Ka-52 navigation and sighting systems, and also participates in the organization of anti-missile defense and warns the crew about dangerous meteorological formations and obstacles.
The first flight of the Ka-52, converted from the serial Ka-50 helicopter, took place on June 25, 1997. Serial production of the helicopter was launched on October 29, 2008 at the Progress plant located in the city of Arsenyev. A series of state tests of the Ka-52 helicopter ended in 2011. In the same year, in May, the first combat vehicles entered service with the combat unit of the country's army aviation.
Combat reconnaissance and attack helicopter of the new generation Ka-52 "Alligator" is designed to fight tanks, armored and unarmored enemy equipment, manpower, as well as enemy helicopters on the front line of confrontation and in tactical depth. The helicopter can be used at any time of the day and in any weather conditions. Also, Ka-52 helicopters are able to conduct reconnaissance of targets, carry out target distribution and instrumental target designation to combat helicopters and command posts of the ground forces interacting with them. The helicopter is able to accompany military convoys and provide fire cover for the landing force, and patrol the area.
Flight technical characteristics of the Ka-52:
Crew - 2 people.
Combat load - 2000 kg at 4 hardpoints.
Armament - 30-mm cannon 2A42 (600 rounds), 4x3 ATGM "Whirlwind" or 4 UR "Igla-V" or 80x80-mm NUR or 10x122-mm NUR, as well as containers with machine-gun armament.
Overall dimensions: length - 14.2 m, height - 4.9 m, rotor diameter - 14.5 m.
Empty weight - 7800 kg.
The maximum take-off weight is 10,400 kg.
Engine power - 2х2400 hp.
The maximum speed is 300 km / h.
The maximum rate of climb at sea level is 16 m / s.
Practical range - 460 km.
Service ceiling - 5500 m.
