Deck helicopters have always had special requirements. They are operated in harsh conditions: humidity, sea salt, temperature changes and winds have a devastating effect on power structures and assemblies, the power plant and on-board electrics. Design Bureau. Kamov in our country has accumulated rich experience in creating vehicles of this class, which served the fleet for several decades. The latest model of the latest generation of Ka-52K Katran deck-based helicopter is currently being put into service with the Russian Navy. Not so much is known about him, but the information published in open sources testifies to his amazing characteristics. Still, he is the "brother" of the Alligator, which is not without reason considered the best combat helicopter in the world.
Alligator and Katran
What is this car like? As the name implies, the Ka-52K helicopter is a modification of the Ka-52 Alligator adapted to sea conditions and the requirements of the Navy. In general appearance, characteristics and weapons between the two machines there are not so many differences, but they are. Both of them are intended for striking at surface targets, but they can also solve the tasks of combat counteraction to air threats. As already noted, the special operating conditions of the mechanisms and assemblies, as well as the supporting elements of the aviation fuselage, designed for sea-based, must have an appropriate design, which provides anticorrosive coatings for all structural elements, special sealing means and adapted microclimate conditions in the pilot's cabin. The Ka-52K has all this, but other than that ...
Screw
If we compare a conventional ground airfield and the deck of an aircraft carrier, and in particular the helipad of a cruiser or other surface ship, the difference in the space allotted for basing the equipment is obvious. The less space it takes, the more units it can accommodate, and the easier it is to service it, having driven it into the hangar. First of all, the rotor is important, which can interfere with the passage through the openings of special elevators that lower the helicopter below the deck, but also the wing, which plays an important role in the aerodynamics of modern helicopters. The idea of compactly folding the blades is not new, it is used in many samples both domestic (Ka-26) and foreign. The Ka-52K Katran is equipped with a mechanism that allows you to perform this operation very quickly, in less than a minute, as well as reduce the dimensions set by the plane consoles. This option was originally dictated by the possibility of using this type of machine on helicopter carriers of the Mistral class, the acquisition of which for political reasons did not take place. Nevertheless, the need for carrier-based helicopters remains relevant, especially since similar ships are planned to be built in Russia. Thus, the additional letter index "K" means "ship".
Avionics
The Ka-52K Katran deck-based helicopter owes its stunning combat qualities not only to the Kamov design bureau engineers, but to a large extent also to the specialists of KRET (Radio Electronic Technology Concern) who developed a unique avionics for it. The upgraded airborne radar can operate in the centimeter frequency range, providing an increased range of the target location (up to two hundred kilometers, twice the usual radius). This machine is able to carry out sorties practically under zero visibility conditions and any weather. The “Hunter” weapon control and image recognition system, built on the laser beam principle, carries out target designation and missile guidance on the crew’s command and based on information from external sources. Another complex, "Crossbow", eliminates the effects of radio interference. All on-board equipment Ka-52K is made in Russia and has no world analogues.
Armament
The firepower of this machine is amazing, it is more consistent with the capabilities of a front-line attack aircraft than with the usual image of a deck helicopter, which traditionally solves the problem of detecting enemy submarines, reconnaissance and rescue crews in distress. This “flying tank” (more likely a destroyer) of the Ka-52K is equipped with the Vitebsk air defense system, which includes a control system for a 30-mm high-speed gun and missile guidance stations located under planes, namely:
- air-to-ground missiles;
- multi-purpose SD "Whirlwind";
- missiles "Needle" ("air to air").
This is enough to provide effective support to the advancing landing units, suppressing the pockets of resistance and hitting enemy armored vehicles of all classes.
But that is not all.
Anti-ship helicopter
The Ka-52K has a quality that no helicopter in the world possesses. It can be installed avionics, allowing the launch and guidance of the latest anti-ship missiles such as X-31 or X-35, capable of sinking a large naval target. Previously, only tactical aircraft systems based on the MiG-29K and Su-30 front-line attack aircraft could carry such weapons. A helicopter that can attack an enemy cruiser or even an aircraft carrier is a new word in the tactics of hypothetical naval battles. This property is all the more important because of the low visibility of rotorcraft and their ability to hang in place, misleading Doppler locators that can "see" only moving objects.
Specifications
Due to the limited information on some parameters of the flight capabilities of the Ka-52K, the characteristics of the Katran can be evaluated by its "immediate relatives", Ka-50 "Black Shark" and Ka-52 "Alligator". There is reason to believe that they are not worse, but quite likely, and superior to them, although perhaps slightly. So, this naval helicopter has dimensions of approximately 14 (length) x 5 (height) x 7.3 (wingspan) meters with a main rotor diameter of 14.5 meters. Cruising speed - 260 km / h, maximum - 300 km / h. The operational radius is 460 km, take-off weight (maximum) is 10.8 tons. The practical ceiling is 5500, and the static is 4000. The power plant consists of two VK-2500 gas turbine engines .
Prospects
According to the general designer of Kamov OJSC Sergey Mikheev, the company signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense for the supply of 146 Ka-52K units by 2020. Photos of the first "folding" machines, which began to enter the fleet, were published in the press. 32 of them were intended for the Russian Mistral, and it is possible that after their acquisition by Egypt sea-going helicopters will be delivered to this country, however, in an export version, with somewhat reduced capabilities. At least in the fall of 2015, a contract for fifty cars was signed by representatives of the ARE and the Russian Federation. In addition, the French side is also interested in the Russian helicopter, although in light of the recent exacerbation of the international situation, it is difficult to predict the successful development of military-technical cooperation with countries that are part of the NATO bloc.