Ka-52K "Katran": characteristics, photo

The deck helicopters always had special requirements. They are operated under severe conditions: humidity, sea salt, temperature differences and winds are destructive to power structures and units, power plant and on-board electrician. Design Bureau. Kamov in our country has accumulated a wealth of experience in creating cars of this class, several decades serving the fleet. The latest model of the latest generation Ka-52K "Katran" helicopter is currently being supplied to the Russian Navy. About it is known not so much, but the information published in open sources, testifies to its tremendous characteristics. Of course, he is the "brother" of the "Alligator", not without reason, considered the best combat helicopter in the world.

Alligator and Katran

What is this machine? As it is clear from the name, the Ka-52K helicopter is adapted to naval conditions and Navy requirements by the Ka-52 Alligator modification. There are not so many differences in the overall appearance, characteristics and armament between the two machines, but they do exist. Both of them are designed to strike against surface targets, but they can also solve the tasks of combat countermeasures to air threats. As already noted, the special operating conditions of the mechanisms and assemblies, as well as the supporting elements of the fuselage of aviation intended for sea-based operations, should have an appropriate design, providing anticorrosion coatings of all structural elements, special sealing means and adapted microclimate conditions in the pilot cabin. All this is with the Ka-52K, but other than that ...

Screw

If we compare the usual ground airfield and the deck of the aircraft carrier, and in particular the helicopter pad of the cruiser or another surface ship, the difference in the space allocated for basing is obvious. The less space it takes, the more units it can accommodate, and the easier it is to service it by driving it into the hangar. First of all, the main rotor, which can interfere with passage through the apertures of special lifts, lowering the helicopter under the deck, but also the wing, which plays an important role in the aerodynamics of modern helicopters. The idea of compact folding of blades is not new, it is used in many samples of both domestic (Ka-26) and foreign ones. Ka-52K "Katran" is equipped with a mechanism that allows to perform this operation very quickly, in less than a minute, as well as to reduce the dimensions specified by the plane consoles. This option was originally dictated by the possibility of using this type of machines on Mistral class helicopter carriers, the purchase of which for political reasons did not take place. Nevertheless, the need for decked helicopters remains relevant, especially since similar ships are planned to be built in Russia. Thus, the additional alphabetic index "K" means "ship".

Avionics

The Ka-52K "Katran" deck helicopter owes its stunning combat qualities not only to the engineers of KB "Kamov", but also to specialists of KRET (Concern of Radioelectronic Technologies), who developed a unique avionics for him. The modernized airborne radar can operate in a centimeter frequency range, providing an increased target range (up to two hundred kilometers, twice the usual radius). This machine is capable of performing combat sorties practically at zero visibility conditions and any weather. Arms control and image recognition system "Hunter", built on a laser-beam principle, performs target designation and guidance of missiles by the command of the crew and proceeding from information coming from external sources. Another complex, "Arbalet", neutralizes the impact of radio interference. All on-board equipment Ka-52K is produced in Russia and has no world analogues.

Armament

The firepower of this machine is shocking, it rather corresponds to the capabilities of a front-line attack aircraft than to the usual image of a deck-based helicopter, which traditionally solves the problems of detecting enemy submarines, reconnaissance and rescuing crews in distress. This "flying tank" (more likely a destroyer) Ka-52K is equipped with an onboard defensive complex "Vitebsk", which includes a control system of a 30-mm rapid-firing cannon and missile-guided missile stations located under the planes, namely:

- air-to-surface missiles;

- multi-purpose UR "Vortex";

- missiles "Needle" ("air air").

This is enough to provide effective support to the advancing landing units, suppressing fires of resistance and hitting enemy armored vehicles of all classes.

But that's not all.

Anti-ship helicopter

There is a Ka-52K quality that no helicopter in the world possesses. It can be installed on avionics, which allows launching and targeting of the latest anti-ship missiles such as X-31 or X-35 capable of launching a large naval target to the bottom. Previously, such weapons could only carry tactical air systems on the basis of front-line attack aircraft MiG-29K and Su-30. A helicopter that can be attacked by an enemy cruiser or even an aircraft carrier is a new word in the tactics of hypothetical sea battles. This property is all the more important because of the low visibility of the rotorcraft and their ability to hang in place, misleading Doppler locators that can "see" only moving objects.

Characteristics

Due to the limited information on some parameters of the flight capabilities of the Ka-52K, the characteristics of "Katran" can be estimated by its "next of kin", Ka-50 "Black Shark" and Ka-52 "Alligator". There are reasons to believe that they are not worse, but quite likely, and exceed them, although, perhaps, slightly. So, this fleet helicopter measures approximately 14 (length) x 5 (height) x 7.3 (wingspan) meter with the diameter of the main propellers 14.5 meters. The cruising speed is 260 km / h, the maximum speed is 300 km / h. The operational radius is 460 km, the take-off weight (maximum) is 10.8 tons. The practical ceiling is 5500, the static is 4000. The power plant consists of two VT-2500 gas turbine engines .

Prospects

According to Sergei Mikheev, the general designer of Kamov, the firm entered into a contract with the Ministry of Defense to supply 146 units of the Ka-52K to 2020. Photos of the first "folding" machines, which began to flow to the fleet, are published in the press. 32 of them were destined for the Russian "Mistrals", and it is possible that after their purchase by Egypt, the sea modification helicopters will be delivered to this country, albeit in export performance, with slightly reduced capabilities. At least in the fall of 2015 a contract for fifty cars was signed by representatives of Egypt and the Russian Federation. In addition, the French side is also interested in the Russian helicopter, although in the light of the recent exacerbations of the international situation it is difficult to predict the successful development of military-technical cooperation with the countries that are part of the NATO bloc.