The most important news for the Russian aircraft industry at the beginning of spring is that the Arsenyev Aviation Company "Progress" named after N. I. Sazykina began construction of Ka-62 helicopters, launching six experimental machines into production.
“The plant has begun construction of an experimental batch of six Ka-62 helicopters, two of which are planned to be handed over for intra-regional transportation. Their delivery is scheduled for 2021 ", - said the managing director of "Progress" Yuri Denisenko.
We will not go into all the technical innovations of the machine now. Let's talk about something else. In theory, this news should cause undisguised delight among fans of Russian aviation: after all, we are talking about a conditionally new helicopter, which is not another variation on the theme of the "immortal" Mi-8 or something else that was previously serially produced during the years of the USSR. However, almost every aviation enthusiast will immediately see the pitfalls. And there are too many of them to simply go into the sea without getting hurt, figuratively speaking.
Metamorphoses of a difficult time
To begin with, it should be said that the Ka-62 is only a conventionally Russian development. The helicopter was surprisingly reborn twice: first it was the Ka-60 - a military multipurpose vehicle, which began to be created in Kamov back in 1984. It became the first "Kamov" helicopter, made according to a single-rotor scheme with a four-bladed main rotor and an eleven-bladed helmsman. What happened next is easy to remember. Perestroika, glasnost, the collapse of the USSR. Difficulties of the 90s, in which there was no place for a new car. The result is two built helicopters for the entire time, although the Ka-60 performed its first flight back in 1998.
The Ka-62 is nothing more than a civilian version of the 60th. It first took to the skies in 2016: the new version features extensive use of imported components. In general, import substitution is clearly not about the Ka-62, and the requirements of the civil aviation market are very different from the requirements of the military helicopter market: at least in terms of savings. If the Ka-60 was powered by two domestic RD-600 turboshaft engines, the Ka-62 received the French Ardiden 3G with plans to replace it with something Russian in the future. And this already makes the project more related to the MS-21 airliner, which they also threaten to equip with the PD-14.
Actually, this aspect has already been paid attention to more than once. For example, Evgeny Matveev, a teacher at the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy, said earlier that an unreasonably large number of foreign-made components are used for the Ka-62, to the detriment of domestic components.
However, here you need to intercede for the creators. As world practice shows (Boeing, Airbus, Embraer), a successful aircraft project should be based not on the principle of taking care of domestic manufacturers, but on expediency. Roughly speaking, if Western engines are more economical, then you need to take them. And vice versa. You also need to understand that in the case of the Ka-62, it is impossible in principle to switch to purely Russian components.
The use of foreign components is completely normal practice, even for titans like China or the United States. The same Chinese airliner Comac C919, the main hope of the Chinese aircraft industry, was supplied with Western CFM International LEAP, and the American Boeing 787 Dreamliner can be equipped with British Rolls-Royce Trent.
In general, the main characteristics of the Ka-62 are quite in the spirit of their time. The maximum takeoff weight of the vehicle is 6.5 tons. The car can carry up to fifteen passengers. The helicopter can reach speeds of up to 308 kilometers per hour and fly over distances of up to 770 kilometers.
New turn
It would seem that there is a project, and it is potentially in demand. There are even a few built and even flying examples. But, apparently, someone thought that this would not be enough, and decided that the Ka-62 could be … again made a military helicopter.
“We have the appearance of a military Ka-62 helicopter. But we haven't started testing yet. The first task: just get a certificate for a civilian helicopter. In parallel, we are working on the military appearance of this helicopter, we are discussing with the Ministry of Defense, as a first approximation, their needs, those missions (of the helicopter) that are necessary , - said in 2018 the general director of the Russian Helicopters holding Andrey Boginsky.
That is, at first the Ka-60 was transformed from a military helicopter into a civilian Ka-62, and now the Ka-62 is seen directly not only as a civilian, but also as a military one. This is despite the fact that, as we said above, there may be almost nothing in common between the requirements of the civilian market and the Ministry of Defense, so in fact it may be easier to create a new helicopter.
It should also not be forgotten that the Russian army has already begun purchasing the Mi-38T transport and landing helicopter and, as far as can be judged, will not abandon this machine. By the way, in February the first serial civilian Mi-38 helicopter was handed over to the customer, but this is a slightly different topic for discussion.
Flights in dreams and in reality
One thing is clear: without export deliveries, the Ka-62 project has no practical meaning. In general, not a single developed country in the world will create helicopters "for themselves": it is too expensive and difficult.
Could the Ka-62 be in demand on the world market? Yes and no. As the Military Industrial Courier wrote in 2013, they wanted to deliver the first Ka-62 in Brazil in 2015.
“We also plan to come out here with a new product, that is, the Ka-62 helicopter. We signed a contract while it is "soft". But in the near future we will sign a "firm" contract for the supply of the first batch of seven Ka-62 helicopters,”
- said then in "Russian Helicopters".
Since then, there is almost no information on the contract, as there is no data on new agreements.
In general, the situation on the aviation market almost defies forecasts, even if we remove the inappropriate bravado characteristic of post-Soviet aircraft manufacturers. Who, for example, could have guessed a couple of years ago that Boeing itself would not receive a single order for the first time in almost 60 years due to its mistakes with the 737 Max model (it should be said, very monstrous by modern standards) in January 2020?
In the case of the Ka-62 (this can also include its hypothetical military version), the situation looks even more complicated, because the helicopter has yet to be brought to the market and "promoted". Proving at the same time that it is better than the same European AgustaWestland AW139, which, unfortunately for the Ka-62, has already been built in a series of more than 700 cars and has managed to win a solid part of a relatively narrow market for itself.
The problem is that Europe and the United States are actively working on fundamentally new and potentially revolutionary high-speed helicopters. Just take a look at the Airbus Racer project or the American FARA competition. That is, there is a risk of obsolescence of classic rotary-wing aircraft, although high-speed helicopters have yet to prove that they are economically more profitable than their proven counterparts.
