KAMOV HAS unveiled an engineering mock-up of its two-seat, fully combat-capable Ka-52 derivative of the Ka-50 (Hokum), with company officials claiming that the new helicopter will be equipped with a millimetre-wave (MMW) radar.
Meanwhile Mil, which still claims to be contesting the Russian army requirement, unveiled the first prototype of its MMW-equipped Mi-28N (Havoc) all-weather attack helicopter.
A small number of prototypes of the Ka-52 (sometimes referred to as the V-80SH2) are now being manufactured, with a first flight of the helicopter expected in 1996.
The Russian army's aviation section appears to be interested in the ability to operate a mixed fleet of single-seat Ka-50s and two-seat Ka-52s, with the latter carrying out "special missions", according to a company official.
Sergei Mikheyev, Kamov's general designer, says: "The Ka-52 will share 85% commonality with the Ka-50. Only the cabin will be modified."
Mikheyev also says that Kamov is offering the Ka-50 to India to meet its combat-helicopter requirement. According to Mikheyev, 12 aircraft have been produced at the Arseniyev plant. He adds that Kamov has a production order from the Russian army, but for a limited number of airframes.
Discussing the Ka-52 programme, Nicolay Emelyanov, deputy chief designer at Kamov, says that it has received approval from the army "...to manufacture the first prototypes". He admits, however, that financing the project remains difficult.
He says that the Ka-52 will have a nose-mounted MMW radar with a performance comparable in range to that of the Lockheed Martin Westinghouse Longbow MMW radar fitted to the McDonnell Douglas Apache-AHH 64D.
According to Emelyanov, the Ka-52 will improve the "combat efficiency" of the single-seat Ka-50 by providing a "reconnaissance" capability. With an air-launched MMW-guided anti-armour missile thought to be under development, it is likely that the Ka-52 would provide a stand-off target location and hand-off capability for the Ka-50.
The mock-up on show had a side-by-side crew configuration and a three-screen multi-function display cockpit architecture.
Source: Flight International
