Ka-50/52 continues to evolve

Ka-50 “Black Shark” Helicopter Revised Owing to Experience of Combat Operations in Chechnya – Kamov Firm President

Source: 08.10.02, Interfax-AVN

The Kamov firm has completed revision of the new Russian Ka-50 “Black Shark” combat helicopter owing to remarks made during the rotary-winged aircraft’s operation in Chechnya.

“Owing to the experience of the combat service of the Ka-50 helicopter in Chechnya, we have fully executed all the revisions for improving the “Black Shark” helicopter,” the president and general designer of the Kamov firm, Sergey Mikheev, reported to Interfax-AVN.

According to him, at the present time there are no Ka-50 in the North Caucuses. They executed the task put before them in full and now are involved with combat training at a deployed location.

“We are taking care of the Ka-50 helicopter. Despite the fact that it was adopted into the inventory in 1995, limited financial capabilities have permitted the Ministry of Defense to buy only several of these aircraft. If army aviation had the Ka-50 in an amount of around 60 – 80 aircraft, most likely the presence of the “Black Shark” in the North Caucuses would be permanent, S. Mikheev said.

The general designer noted that the combat use of the Ka-50 helicopter fully supported the concept embodied in the aircraft during its design. In the opinion of the military airmen, the “Black Shark” is an effective attack combat means for the destruction of an enemy’s armor, combat with low-speed aerial targets and the destruction of live forces in the battle field.

“The concept of the combat usage of combat helicopters of the previous generation consisted of their actions from ambush, a pop-up method ((METOD PODSKOKA)) – striking the enemy and hiding behind a forest or the terrain. The Ka-50 was created taking into account the fact that it should go not behind the battle formations of attacking troops, but often in front of them. Therefore, it is maneuverable, has powerful antitank and other precision weapons, is capable of effectively suppressing and destroying air defense systems and also live forces on the battlefield,” S. Mikheev says.

He noted that the coaxial design (two main rotors) provides the Ka-50 the highest magnitude of vertical rate of climb and static ceiling (altitude), which is very important during the use of a helicopter in the mountains. The helicopter is able to execute combat maneuvers in a minimum amount of air space in the shortest time for occupying a suitable attack position.

A large number of variants of armament is achieved by the capability to install the 2A42 mobile rapid-fire 30-mm. cannon, antitank guided missiles with a launch range up to 8 km, Igla-V air-to-air missiles and various sizes of bombs on the helicopter. The total weight of the weapons on the under-wing mounts is 2,300 kg.

“Our vision of the Ka-50 as a strike platform consists of the fact that the helicopter constantly will be attacking, hunting, and finding the enemy and destroying him. For this, the crew should have self-defense weapons and be reliably protected. We have to guarantee the airman that he will survive,” S. Mikheev said.