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Crouching Alligator: Ka-52M trials to be completed in two years | Articles | News:
Translated by google
They decided to upgrade the helicopter after studying the experience of its use in Syria
May 7, 2020 00:01
Anton Lavrov, Roman Kretsul
State tests of the latest Ka-52M attack helicopter will be completed at the end of 2022. Now the efforts of the military and engineers are focused on the early launch of a competitor in the series - Mi-28NM “Night Hunter”. The Ka-52M is a fully redesigned version of the reconnaissance and strike Ka-52. The car was equipped with new weapons, sighting system and composite armor. Among the experts, the Ka-52M has already received the nickname Super Alligator. Experts believe that the apparatuses of the Milya and Kamov design bureaus have their own niches - both helicopters will certainly be brought to the series and will enter the troops, albeit at different times.
Two drummers
A phased plan for testing new on-board systems and weapons for the upgraded Ka-52M has already been drawn up (Izvestia has a copy of the document). Helicopter trials are planned to be completed in December 2022, sources in the military-industrial complex told Izvestia.
According to the interlocutors of the publication, so far it has been decided to concentrate the main forces on the Mi-28NM project. The development program of this machine will finish earlier. A large order has already been signed for the Night Hunter.
As Izvestia previously wrote, the modernization of the Ka-52 was initiated after studying the Syrian experience in using a helicopter. In the Middle East, Kamov participated in battles against ISIS (banned in Russia), including the operation to liberate Palmyra. Also, several marine vehicles were part of the Admiral Kuznetsov cruiser air group during his trip to the coast of Syria.
At the request of the military, the Super Alligator strengthened the reservation. The airborne defense complex protecting the vehicle from anti-aircraft missiles will also be updated. In its arsenal, the Ka-52M will receive Hermes-A long-range ammunition capable of hitting targets at a distance of 15–20 km. As well as guided anti-tank Vikhr-M with a range of up to 8 km - they have already been used in Syria.
For the effective use of new missiles, a multi-channel aiming system GOES-451 will undergo deep modernization. About half a billion rubles have been allocated for its completion. It is planned to increase the range of detection and recognition of targets using optics and a helicopter radar day and night, in any weather.
The engineers also plan to automatically pair the machine with the Sagittarius intelligence, control and communications complex. Ground forces, special forces and airborne forces will be able to automatically exchange information with the Ka-52M about the situation on the battlefield. This will help to accurately guide aircraft to enemy targets.
Pumping "Alligator"
Army aircraft operate at relatively low altitudes and are more exposed to the danger of shelling from the ground. Therefore, recently all helicopters have been trying to adapt for use at night, with the Mi-28NM this is easier and faster, said the former deputy chief of the State Flight Test Center, Honored Test Pilot Colonel Igor Malikov.
“It happens when in conditions of limited resources they first give priority to a machine that is more ready and requires less time and effort to finalize,” the expert told Izvestia. - In another situation, the Mi-28NM and Ka-52M would develop in parallel. But in any case, both cars will be finished and will enter the troops.
As previously reported by Izvestia, after the modernization of the Ka-52M and Mi-28NM will be maximally unified in terms of communications, airborne defense systems and weapons. This is necessary to simplify and reduce the cost of the joint operation and maintenance of two different types of helicopters.
- It is difficult to say how the modernized helicopters will look in the end, but the basic version of the Ka-52 is lighter and more maneuverable. Its main purpose is the destruction of armored vehicles with guided missiles, ”the former commander of the 4th Air Force and Air Defense Army, Lieutenant General Valery Gorbenko, told Izvestia. - And the Mi-28 was originally created as a "Night Hunter." It all depends on the task - you can send a more secure Mi-28, or a more maneuverable Ka-52, to solve it.
Former rivals
The rivalry between the combat helicopters of the Mil and Kamov design bureaus has not weakened since the design of the Ka-50 and Mi-28 in the 1980s. Initially, the Ministry of Defense wanted to choose one of the projects for serial production. But in the end, it was decided to purchase both types of machines for Russian aviation.
In 2019, previously independent design bureaus combined into a single National Helicopter Center named after M.L. Milya and N.I. Kamova. According to representatives of Russian Helicopters, such a move should free up the forces of former competitors to compete with foreign companies. At the same time, mass purchases of two types of the latest domestic attack helicopters decided to continue.
During a visit to the Progress aircraft plant in May last year, Alexei Krivoruchko, deputy head of the Russian military, said that 114 Ka-52Ms were planned to be ordered in 2020. So far, the signing of such a contract has not been reported. In 2019, a prototype machine just started testing.
The Ministry of Defense may conclude contracts for new equipment even before completion of its testing and official adoption.
The upgraded Ka-52M will receive an aircraft cruise missile
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