Trực thăng-Phần 2

Kamov Ka-25
1961

A major milestone in the history of the naval combat shipboard and carrier-borne aviation was the Ka-25 helicopter. Powered by two GTD-3F turboshaft engines developed by V.A.Glushenkov, the Ka-25 first flew in 1961 with test pilot D.K.Yefremov at the controls. This was the first dedicated combat helicopter designed in our country. The emergence of the Ka-25 was inseparably connected with the creation of the ocean-going Navy and with ensuring a reliable anti-submarine defence. It was designed for destroying atomic submarines. The State acceptance trials of the Ka-25 were completed in 1968.
All in all, 18 different modifications of the Ka-25 were designed and built, i.e. the Ka-25PL basic ASW version, the Ka-25Ts over-the-horizon (OTH) targeting version, the Ka-25PS SAR version, the Ka-25BT mine countermeasures version, the civil Ka-25K flying crane etc. The Ka-25PL was exported to India, Syria, Bulgaria, Vietnam and Yugoslavia. 12 Soviet Navy Ka-25BTs took part in minesweeping operations in the Suez Gulf.
For the Ka-25 the OKB developed a co-axial rotor system which was fully up to the latest achievements of scientific knowledge and to the technologies currently in use in the country. In subsequent co-axial helicopter types only minor changes were made to some elements of the rotor system to improve their design, production technologies and maintainability. The co-axial helicopter''s aerodynamically symmetrical layout, coupled with the autopilot, sophisticated avionics suite and good handling qualities, enabled one pilot to fulfil long-endurance combat tasks under any weather con***ions.
For the first time, Kamov designers fitted a rotary-wing aircraft with a mission avionics suite and weapons system which allowed the helicopter to navigate above water surface devoid of any reference points and fulfill the task of locating and destroying a submarine, both in manual and automatic mode. They achieved this by skilfully joining the efforts of a large number of cooperating enterprises. During prototype construction the designers - for the first time in OKB history - had to adapt it to the ship. One of the big problems was the fact that space on a ship is extremely limited and every square metre has to be used to the full. The company''s specialists were well aware of that - and achieved an excellent result: the Ka-25''s take-off weight increased 5-fold compared to that of the Ka-15 for an increase in dimensions by a factor of only 1.6. To reduce the rotor-craft''s dimensions for hangar stowage during cruise, the designers created an electromechanical rotor blade folding system. This made the helicopter quite compact; e.g., overall length with the blades folded was only 11.0m.
Even in retrospective, with our present-day knowledge, one cannot help feeling respect for the specialists and leaders who assumed responsibility for the implementation of the shipboard combat helicopter concept. Inevitably, there were sceptics at the time among Ministry of Aviation Industry, Air Force and Navy officials who though it impossible to cut through the interdepartmental bureaucratic red tape. Moreover, critics questioned the soundness of the co-axial helicopter layout. And yet, Kamov and his co-workers succeeded in constructing a rotorcraft that laid the foundation for a large-scale introduction of co-axial helicopters into service.
The Ka-25''s flight test programme revealed that each type of warship had its peculiarities as far as pitching and rolling characteristics and airflow over the deck were concerned. Development of methods of helicopter landings on ships of different categories in daytime and at night with the ship under way and at rest, as well as water landing techniques, was accomplished by test pilots V.M.Yevdokimov and N.P.Bezdetnov. They conducted a large amount of test work with a view to evaluating the automatic engine control system, mastering single-engine piloting techniques and making engine-out landings in autorotation mode without a landing run.
The reliability of the Ka-25 during shipboard operations was amply demonstrated during numerous sea and ocean cruises in which Kamov specialists participated. The first ocean cruise of the Ka-25 took place in April-September 1967. The helicopter operated from the flight deck of the "Tobol" mothership, having logged 100 flight hours during the cruise. Deployment of helicopters on ships - both singly and in groups - was subjected to a very stringent testing on ships of various types, including the well-known ASW cruisers "Moskva" and "Leningrad". The Ka-25 passed this test with flying colours.
The Ka-25 ensured the navigation of ships in the Polar North, operating from the nuclear-powered icebreaker "Sibir". As a rule, ice patrol and guidance of ships through icefields was conducted under adverse weather con***ions with limited visibility. At the time, this complicated task could only be tackled by the Ka-25 fitted with modern avionics, including a 360? search radar. It should be noted that the Ka-25 was the first extremely compact co-axial helicopter in the world to accommodate a powerful search radar and ensure its effective operation. The Ka-25 is undoubtedly a unique helicopter. Quite a few features put into effect by the OKB''s specialists in the process of its design can be described as "a world''s first".
Two versions of the helicopter were designed in parallel: the Ka-25PL and the Ka-25Ts. The former is a submarine hunter equipped with weapons, the latter is a reconnaissance platform tasked with seeking out surface targets and designating them to the powerful artillery and rockert weapons placed on ships and at coastal bases. The airframe, rotor system and powerplant of these helicopters were designed with a maximum degree of commonality.

To meet a Soviet Naval Air Force specification in the late fifties for an antisubmarine helicopter for ship or shore-based use, the Kamov bureau developed a helicopter powered by twin turbines installed side-by-side above the cabin, which drove two three-bladed coaxial, contra-rotating rotors as on their other aircraft. It was first seen at the Tushino air display in July 1961 and was assigned the NATO reporting name Harp. The prototype may have been designated Ka-20.
The Harp was characterized by a large radome under the nose and a fairing beneath the tail boom. The armament consisted of two fixed machine guns in the nose and two small air-to-surface missiles (probably dummies) at the sides of the fuselage. The production version, designated Ka-25, differed from the prototype only in minor details, and was assigned the code name Hormone. About 460 were built between 1966 and 1975. They have replaced the piston-engined Mi-4s in the Soviet Navy and Naval Air Force and a few have been exported to Syria, India and Yugoslavia.
NATO now recognises two distinct variants of the Ka-25. The first, designated Hormone-A, is basically a ship-based and antisubmarine version operating from cruisers of the Kresta and Kara classes, Moskva and Leningrad carrier/cruisers and Kiev and Minsk ASW cruisers. The Moskva and Leningrad carrier/cruisers can carry about 18 Ka-25s; the larger Kiev and Minsk, about 30. Those of the Kara class carry three and the Kresta four (Kresta I) or five (Kresta II). Hormone-A has a search radar in a large fairing under the nose, and a towed magnetic anomaly detector (MAD), while a dipping sonar is housed in a compartment at the rear of the cabin. The helicopter also has electro-optical sensors. Some models have been seen with different types of fairings, probably containing submarine detection apparatus. Some have big hatches beneath the fuselage, enclosing a bay for antisubmarine torpedoes, nuclear depth charges or other types of weapons (probably air-to-surface guided missiles).
The second variant of the Ka-25, designated Hormone-B, has special electronic equipment for target spotting and guidance of surface-to-surface missiles. It has a larger more spherical radome under the nose and a cylindrical radome under the rear of the cabin. This variant has no ventral loading doors.
The Ka-25 normally has a crew of two pilots and two or three ASW equipment operators, but it also has secondary capability for troop transport, as the cabin is large enough to accommodate 12. Each of the four landing gear wheels can be enclosed by an inflatable pontoon surmounted by flotation bottles. This guarantees buoyancy if the aircraft isforced to ***ch.

Technical data for Ka-25
Crew: 2-3, engine: 2 x GTD-3F turboshaft, rated at 662kW or 2 x GTD-3F turboshaft, rated at 728kW, rotor diameter: 15.74m, fuselage length: 9.75m, height: 5.37m, take-off weight: 7200kg, empty weight: 4765kg, max speed: 220km/h, cruising speed: 180km/h, service ceiling: 3500m, range: 450km

Kamov Ka-26
1965

The year of 1956 saw the beginning of the wide-scale application of helicopters in the Soviet national economy. The need arose for helicopters capable of spreading fertilizers in the fields, orchards and vineyards and of combatting pests and weeds. To this end Ka-15M and Mi-1 helicopters were fitted with agricultural equipment. Operational experience gained with these types revealed the need for a dedicated helicopter with a bigger cargo-lifting capacity for performing a wide range of agricultural duties. This requirement was met by the Ka-26 featuring a modular design with interchangeable mission equipment (the "flying chassis").
In January 1964 the Soviet government issued a directive on the creation of the multi-purpose Ka-26 in two versions: the agricultural version capable of carrying 600-700kg of chemicals and the transport version for carrying passengers over distances of up to 400km. At the time our Civil Aviation already operated the agricultural version of the Mi-2 multi-purpose helicopter. The Kamov OKB was faced with the task to build a more cost-effective aircraft and did so with success. The Ka-26 design effort was headed by deputy chief designer M.A.Kupfer; Yu.I.Petrukhin was the leading designer and V.S.Dordan the leading engineer in charge of the flight tests.
The first circuit flight of the Ka-26 took place on August 18, 1965; the prototype was flown by test pilot V.V.Gromov. The State trials were successfully completed in the autumn of 1967 and production was launched in the town of Kumertau at a factory which had been purpose-built in 1962. The leaders of the OKB and its specialists rendered invaluable assistance in the setting up and development of the new aircraft factory. Their efforts were not wasted - the Kumertau Aircraft Production Association is currently continuing production of helicopters bearing the Kamov emblem, albeit helicopters of a new generation.
Between 1967 and 1970 several modifications of the Ka-26 were designed and tested: a shipboard version, an air ambulance version, a geological survey verson, a "flying crane", a highway patrol version etc. In its basic configuration the helicopter can be fitted with quickly detachable equipment packages, such as: passenger (cargo) cabin, cargo platform, hopper and spraybars for crop-spraying etc, and thus can be converted into any of the required versions within 1.5-2 hours. Due to the Ka-26''s unusual modular design the specific versions were not allocated designations of the generally adopted style (i.e., with suffix letters), although they were just as numerous as, for example, those of the Mi-2 helicopter in the same class.
In the Ka-26 helicopter the Kamov OKB made its first large-scale use of parts and subassemblies made from composite materials. These included rotor blades, engine cowlings, the hopper for chemicals etc. The main achievement, however, was the organization of mass production of glassfibre rotor blades which ensured stability of aerodynamic characteristics under varying climatic con***ions. Composite rotor blades had 5000-hour service life; in contrast, the metal blades of contemporary helicopter rotors had service life of less than 600-800 hours. The design and production technology of the blades have been patented in five countries outside the former Soviet Union; this know-how formed the basis for the production of improved new-generation rotor blades.
Single-rotor helicopters with a tail rotor are in production in Russia, the USA, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and elsewhere. It is an open secret that the helicopter design bureaux of these countries make use of the achievements of their competitors. When designing co-axial helicopters, N.I.Kamov''s OKB virtually does not have to borrow from foreign experience, because it is exactly the Kamov OKB that "dictates the fashions" in this field. The company''s rotorcraft possess so-called "patent purity". It was not least this circumstance that enabled the Ka-26 as the only Soviet helicopter to be certificated in accordance with US FAR 29 airworthiness regulations. It was also the only Soviet helicopter to be sold abroad on a commercial basis; the Ka-26 was exported to 17 foreign countries. For more than 30 years it has been doing its job with dignity. The total flying hours amassed by the type amount to 2,907,000 hours. In 1980 and 1982 the Ka-26 established five world records.

The first indication that his bureau was working on the design of a new, twin-engined general-purpose utility helicopter was given by Nikolai Kamov himself in January 1964. The prototype of this aircraft, the Ka-26, was flown for the first time in 1965, followed by a small pre-series batch and the first production Ka-26''s during 1966. In its general appearance the Ka-26 shows a marked similarity to the Kaman H-43 Huskie, except that it retains the typical Kamov-type 3-blade co-axial rotor arrangement, whereas the American machine has separate rotor heads and intermeshing blades. The rotor blades, and parts of the fuselage of the Soviet aircraft, are of plastic and glassfibre construction.
The basic Ka-26 airframe comprises the 2-man crew cabin, rotor head and stub wings, with the engine pods at their extremities and twin tailbooms to the rear supporting the tail assembly. The tail unit is akin to that of a fixed-wing aeroplane, consisting of a tailplane and elevators and fins and rudders with a pronounced toe-in angle. The engines of those Ka-26''s so far seen are Vedeneev radials, and not the Isotov shaft turbines that had been anticipated by western observers, but it is possible that later production aircraft could be turbine-powered. This would make the Ka-26 an even better proposition for a Ka-15 replacement, for the piston-engined Ka-26 has three times the load-carrying ability of the earlier type.
Considerable versatility of role is made possible in the Ka-26 by the use of interchangeable kits or units in the space behind the crew cabin and beneath the rotor head. These may take the form of a freight platform for a 900kg load; a winch for externally-slung crane loads; dust hoppers or liquid chemical tanks for agricultural use; a ''people pod'' with a bench seat for 3 passengers along each side; or a similar cabin pod to accommodate a stretchers, 2 sitting patients and a medical attendant. Other likely applications of the Ka-26 include Arctic search and rescue, and ice, fishery or forestry patrols, either from land bases or ships'' platforms. The Ka-26 is normally equipped for single-pilot operation, but dual controls can be fitted if desired. Six Ka-26''s were ordered by an operator in Southern England in April 1967, the first order ever placed by a British customer for an aircraft designed and built in the USSR.

The Ka-26, designed at the beginning of the sixties, is built for maximum simplicity and versatility as a "lifting system" consisting of the powerplant, contra-rotating rotor assembly, cabin, landing gear and twin endplate fin tail unit. Loads and containers of various kinds can be installed immediately behind the cabin, beneath the rotors: a pod for six passengers, an open platform, tanks for liquid or solid insecticides or other products, and spray bars for agricultural use. A variant for geophysical survey is equipped with an electromagnetic pulse generator in the cabin and a big hoop antenna outside. Thanks to its compactness and stability, the Ka-26 can operate from small platforms and has been fitted with floats and used for fish-spotting.
The Ka-26 went into service on a large scale in 1970 and has been exported for both civil and military use.

Kamov Ka-25Ts
1967

Airborne missile control version with ad***ional fuel, no weapons bay, enlarged nose radome, retractable u/c and advanced avionics and communications suite.

Kamov Ka-25K
1967

At its own initiative, the OKB made an attempt to build a civil derivative of the Ka-25 - the Ka-25K intended for cargo and passenger transportation and for flying crane operations. In 1967 the Ka-25K prototype was successfully demonstrated in the static display and in flight at the Le Bourget Air Show. The presentation of a co-axial helicopter - moreover, in such a "heavy" weight category - became an event quite out of the ordinary for the world aviation community, as the comments of helicopter design specialists testified. During refuelling stopovers on the way from Moscow to Paris and back the helicopter invariably became the centre of attention.
The Ka-25K had an operator''s ****pit suspended under the forward fuselage for controlling the machine during operations with slung loads. It could replace the remarkably versatile but obsolete piston-engined Mi-4 helicopter, production of which had ended in 1966. Suffice it to say that, having an identical take-off weight, the Ka-25K could transport a 2000kg load compared to 1300kg for the Mi-4. Design work on the Ka-25K was led by deputy chief designer I.A.Ehrlikh; the leading designer was S.V.Mikheyev. Yet, regrettably, this version of the helicopter did not enter service because of a Government decision to place an order in Poland for the design of the PZL W-3 "Sokyl" helicopter in the 6000-7000kg class.

A civil variant of the Ka-25, designated Ka-25K, was displayed at the Paris Air Show in 1967. Designed for use as a flying crane, it had a gondola under the nose (in place of the fairing for the search radar of the military version), with a rearward-facing pilot seat for controlling loading and unloading operations in the hover. A hatch was provided in the cabin floor for a cable to be lowered by winch. The cabin could take either a maximum load of 2000kg, 12 passengers or four stretchers and an attendant. This variant was not put into production or service.

Kamov Ka-25F
1968 - project

As early as 1968, when N.I.Kamov was still alive, the OKB joined the competition of design studies for an Army assault/transport helicopter. The Kamov contender was a derivative of the Ka-25 designated Ka-25F featuring a redesigned fuselage and skid undercarriage. The armament comprised a 23-mm GSh-23 cannon with 400 rounds in a chin turret, six UB-16-57 rocket pods with 57-mm unguided rockets, six "Falanga" (Solifuge) anti-tank guided missiles, and bombs. The Ka-25F project received a positive appraisal from the Air Force''s research institutes but lost out to the competing Mi-24 helicopter.

Kamov agricultural autogyro
1972 - project

Although the USSR was a world leader by then as far as the scale of agricultural flying is concerned, its agricultural aircraft inventory (the An-2 aeroplane and helicopters) did not have the potential to increase the total serviced area and reduce the cost of the work. Hence in the early ''70s the Ministry of Civil Aviation issued an outline specification for the design - on a competitive basis - of a special aircraft capable of carrying 1500...1800kg of chemicals and reducing work costs by 20...25% as compared to the An-2.
A group of enthusiasts from the the OKB staff suggested that N.I.Kamov take part in the competition with an autogyro of the "flying chassis" type similar to the Ka-26 helicopter. The submitted project of an agricultural autogyro powered by a single turboprop engine with a pusher propeller met the specification. The new-generation autogyro was superior to a new STOL aeroplane in manoeuvrability and flight safety at low speeds and in low-level flight. It posed considerably more modest demands to runways. It had no equals among the contenders as far as cost-effectiveness and flight safety were concerned. Alas, the unusual project never got off the drawing board.

Technical data for Kamov autogyro
Crew: 1, engine: 1 x TVD-10 turboshaft, rated at 691kW, main rotor diameter: 20.0m, fuselage length: 9.6m, height: 4.8m, width: 4.48m, take-off weight: 4130kg, internal payload: 1600kg, max speed: 220km/h, range with 1100kg payload and 30min fuel reserve: 600km

Kamov Ka-27
1973

New helicopter broadly based on Ka-25 for Soviet Navy with redesigned broader chord rotor blades, strengthened transmissions and u/c, two tail fins and two 2170shp TV3-117BK turboshafts, increased fuel and 12500kg TOGW. Prot. FF 24 Dec. 1973.
Ka-27PL Helix-A - Ka-27 for anti-submarine missions with extended ****pit with ad***ional windows, enlarged belly weapons bay for four torpedoes and upgraded electronics suite.
Ka-28 Helix-A - Ka-27PL for export customers with 2170shp TV3-117BK turboshafts.
Ka-29 Helix-B - naval assault transport variant of Ka-27 with wider ****pit section, 16-troop cabin, modified chin radar, external weapons pylons with four hardpoints.
Ka-27PS Helix-D - ASR version of Ka-27 without weapons bay, rescue winch, external fuel tanks, searchlight and other rescue equipment.
Ka-31 - Radar post version of Ka-29 with extending belly-mounted radar antenna.

Technical data for Ka-27
Crew: 2-3, engine: 2 x Klimov TV3-117 turboshaft, rated at 1618kW, rotor diameter: 15.9m, fuselage length: 11.3m, height: 5.4m, take-off weight: 11000kg, max speed: 270km/h, cruising speed: 230km/h, service ceiling: 4300m, range: 800km, endurance: 4.5h

Kamov Ka-29
1976

In 1973 in response to a Navy requirement the OKB started the design and construction of a transport/attack derivative of the Ka-27 - the Ka-29 shipboard helicopter. Deputy Chief Designer S.N.Fomin was entrusted with heading the design effort. Leading designer G.M.Danilochkin became his assistant, while B.V.Barshevsky was appointed leading engineer of the test programme. The prototype made its first flight on July 28, 1976 with test pilot Ye.I.Laryushin at the controls. The Ka-29 enhanced the mobility and effectiveness of amphibious landing operations, deploying both on ships and at coastal bases. The helicopter featured an effective navigation, targeting and communication suite. Its armament in the Ka-29TB assault version comprised anti-tank guided missiles, gun pods, unguided rockets, free-fall bombs and submunitions dispensers. The transport version could accomodate 16 fully-armed troops or carry outsize loads weighing up to 4000kg on a sling and was armed with a rapid-firing 7.62-mm machine-gun. The State acceptance trials were completed in May 1979 and production began in 1984.
In the world helicopter design practice there is no direct equivalent to the Ka-29. The ủđưĂxial helicopter''s ease of piloting, coupled with the low vibration level, lessen targeting errors and the initial dispersal of ammunition, which considerably improves firing accuracy. This has been substantiated by comparing the test results of the single-rotor Mi-24 and the ủđưĂxial Ka-29 equipped with the same models of sights, fixed gun armament and unguided rockets. Weapon accuracy on the Ka-29 proved to be approximately twice as high. In 1987 G.M.Danilochkin was awarded the State Prize for his role in the development of the Ka-29''s weapons system.

Technical data for Ka-29
Crew: 2, engine: 2 x TV3-117VK turboshaft, rated at 1660kW, rotor diameter: 15.90m, length: 11.6m, height: 5.40m, take-off weight: 12600kg, empty weight: 5520kg, max speed: 250km/h, service ceiling: 5000m, range with 2000kg payload: 460km, range with max fuel: 740km

Kamov Ka-32
1980
Civil versions of the Ka-27 designated Ka-32T (transport) and Ka-32S (shipboard utility and ice reconnaissance) were developed in the mid-80s to fill Civil Aviation needs. They were optimised for carrying cargo inside the cabin or on a sling, loading and unloading ships both anchored at the roadstead and under way, supporting offshore oil rigs, search-and-rescue operations etc. Development of these aircraft was led by deputy Chief Designer M.A.Kupfer, with leading designer B.Ye.Sokolov as his assistant; Ye.N.Yamshchikov was leading engineer of the test programme. The prototype flew for the first time on October 8, 1980 at the hands of test pilot Ye.I.Laryushin. The Ka-32S differed from the Ka-32T in being fitted with a search radar and a navigation system required for ice-patrol flights. Series production of the Ka-32 has been going on in Kumertau since 1986.
Kamov Ka-32S

Ka-32 for maritime SAR, medevac and support operations.
Ka-32T

Ka-32 utility model for civil or military use with stripped down equipment and avionics.
Technical data for Ka-32T & Ka-32S
Crew: 1-3, passengers: 15, engine: 2 x TV3-117VK turboshaft, rated at 1620kW, rotor diameter: 15.9m, fuselage length: 12.25m, height: 5.4m, width: 3.8m, take-off weight: 11000kg, internal payload: 3700kg, external payload: 4500-5000kg, max speed: 250km/h, hovering ceiling: 3500m, service ceiling: 5000m, range with internal fuel: 800km

Kamov Ê-32K
1992

Ka-32 for heavylift operations with retracting observation gondola under rear fuselage.