Helicopter Black Shark - military celestial predator

The latest formidable invention of Russian military engineering at the end of the last century, the multifunctional super-helicopter KA-50, is known by the no less powerful name Black Shark.

It is interesting that its creators, the designers of the Kamov association, called this shock army vehicle more tender and affectionate - "honey".

Like any brilliant child, this supermachine of modern combat was born long and painfully, taking its parents by surprise with unexpected and hitherto unknown "growing pains".

The black shark in that majestic and powerful form that amazed the whole world and embodied seemingly impossible aerodynamic and technical solutions- this is already the 50th model of engineering and design research by the Kamov bureau.

Photo: Black Shark attack helicopter

Nikolai Kamov, the first inventor of Soviet gyroplanes (gyroplane - the first helicopter, literally, self-rotating), in the helicopter industry, which was again in demand after the war, begins work on his brainchild - a helicopter using a coaxial screw scheme.

The first such project appeared at the designers of the "Yakovlevsky" bureau, but was abandoned by them as unpromising and in need of a long and painstaking development.

At that time, there was not even a theory of aeromechanics of a coaxial scheme. It was this helical scheme that Kamov undertook to develop; it also became the main one in most of his models.

Watch video - Black Shark:

A coaxial propeller scheme is such an engineering solution when there is no propeller on the tail on the machine, and two other propellers located on the same axis above the helicopter body are responsible for the flight of the helicopter.

The main propellers rotating in opposite directions were responsible independently of each other - the first for lifting and landing, the second for horizontal movement.

This was the most important decision, which provided not only amazing maneuverability and controllability, but also subsequently led to the unprecedented military-technical perfection of the Black Shark.

Work on the creation of a machine with such amazing flight characteristics began with a model of an air "motorcycle", as the progenitor of the "Black Shark" was named and it was a small car on two inflatable pillows.

But the beginning was made, and the beginning was impressive.

From the history of the creation of the Shark helicopter

The pressing problems of the military, set before them by the "rules" and tasks cold war, namely reconnaissance and destruction submarines the enemy "poured" not only living blood into the work on improving this machine, but also provided the material base for these developments.

The stability, maneuverability and controllability of coaxial helicopters made it possible to single out the "Kamov" models as the main carrier-based helicopters of the navy.

These were not only scouts, rescuers, transporters, but also air "controllers" and even "heads" of warships. However, the KA-25 was born and improved not only in the brilliance of its strength, but also on thorny paths failures and setbacks.

The project was on the verge of closing several times.

The ambitious and confident plans of the Kamov designers included not only the creation of a helicopter for carrier-based aviation, they sought to solve the issue of providing strike vehicles to the ground forces, where at that time the "Milevsky" machines unconditionally dominated.

And such a chance was presented to the Kamovites - in 1977 they won a tender for a similar order.

Made in USSR: Attack helicopter Black Shark

The task was to create a machine that could withstand the new American model of the Apache helicopter. Apaches then showed the best recent achievements both in flight characteristics and in the military support of the machine, its aerodynamics and mechanics.

And such a machine was made, in 1984 an experimental model of the Black Shark appeared for testing.

Every conceivable requirement for a combat attack helicopter ground forces"Shark" embodied easily and gracefully. Its on-board electronics and bold weapon concepts made it possible to classify the Ka-50 as the latest and most severe weapon, which is controlled by just one pilot.

Image: Project Ka-50 "Black Shark" helicopter

Shark's chief designer, Mikheev, said that ideally they would like to make a car without a pilot at all, which would make it possible not to risk the lives of pilots. The high-speed electronic "brain" of the Ka-50 is capable of not only replacing the co-pilot, its tasks include detecting and tracking the enemy, fully automating the flight and firing.

The "Black Shark" can be called a flying cyborg, where the onboard weapons exist as an extension of the pilot's hand, the coaxial scheme allows for incredible maneuvers at extremely low altitudes, camouflage in difficult terrain and set up ambushes and traps, and the controllability of this entire super helicopter is subject to one person.

One of the Akula's four on-board computers is designed to automate the flight, the second is busy with fire missions, the third is constantly testing the entire vehicle systems, and the last one is in reserve, always ready for the right job.

Features of the attack helicopter Black Shark

"Black Shark" is also the most tenacious helicopter. The classical definition is known that the lifetime of a combat helicopter is only 16 seconds of flight, which the enemy needs to deliver a deadly retaliatory strike on the vehicle.

Armored cockpit, safely damaged helicopter structures - this was one side of the solution.

The second was the technical possibility of the "Shark" performing aerobatics impossible for a helicopter, including "funnel" and "dead loop", which incredibly expanded its maneuverability and increased elusiveness and inaccessibility.

"Black Shark" can fly not only correctly, i.e. straight, it is able to move backwards and sideways, maintaining the direction of movement and not dropping the speed below 90 km / h.

The superhelicopter was the first model in the helicopter industry to have an ejection seat for the pilot, and the pilot could eject from the Shark at any height and in any speed mode, even zero.

The "Shark" embodied the concept of "arm's length", which involves hitting the enemy's target without approaching it.

Scheme: Characteristics and dimensions of the helicopter "Black Shark"

Thanks to a highly integrated complex of onboard equipment, the Ka-50 can hit targets located 10 kilometers away without entering the enemy air defense detection zone. As they say, the enemy may not even know that he is already on the sight of the "Shark" and he can only wait for her lightning strike.

The accuracy of the shot helps the pilot to ensure a helmet-mounted system using a sight mounted in the pilot's helmet. When the pilot's head is turned, the guidance heads of the missiles mounted on the Shark are automatically oriented. Such target designation and control makes it possible to almost instantly capture the target.

Armament of the Black Shark

"Shark" is armed, as expected, to the teeth. It has a built-in weapon (a 30-mm cannon, 4 times superior to the same cannon on the "Apache" and the installed supersonic anti-tank missiles "Whirlwind"), and almost all known means of destruction can be hung on the "Black Shark", with a total mass of up to half a ton .

With such equipment, the Black Shark can fight not only against ground targets, but also against other helicopters, and even fighters, for which it becomes a very inconvenient, low-flying, inconspicuous and low-speed target.

Photo: Ka-50 combat helicopter armament

The further life of the "Black Shark" shared the fate of the once huge empire, with the collapse of the USSR, the production of these machines ceased. Then, already in the new millennium, everything was restored and even a "relative" of the Shark was created - the command helicopter Ka-52 - "Alligator".

Life went on as usual, the ingenious design continues to improve, embodying not only a new type of attitude towards war, but also the demand for a new type of pilot - an elite capable of managing such a complex computer mechanism for navigation, piloting and combat.

Continued success in other areas

Following the real helicopter, great success was wrecked and computer game called "Black Shark", the genre is a full-fledged helicopter combat simulator.

Thanks to complex system management, set out on several sheets and driving and fire lessons given in it, the computer version of the "Black Shark" can rightfully be called also a simulator for amateurs.

As expected, serious parents have serious children, so Black Shark helicopter simulator is not just shooting games and entertainment for lazy people.

The historical image of the "Black Shark" will remain incomplete if the fact to which this machine owes its bright and symbolic name is not mentioned.

In the period of their trial formation and at the dawn of market relations in the former USSR, "Kamov" designers order a feature film (1993 "Black Shark"), where their unique brainchild should play the main role. The events in the tape tell about joint Soviet-American special forces operations to destroy underground drug factories.

A real pilot, a Hero of the Soviet Union with the rank of major general, Valery Vostrotin, piloted a miracle helicopter in this film, and a real journalist from America, Carolina Scofield, played a foreign correspondent.

It was on the set of this film that the Americans dubbed the Ka-50 the "Black Shark" by analogy with the then popular American blockbuster "Blue Thunder" (the film is also about a helicopter, but, unlike ours, unrealistic).

Whatever it was, and whatever was hidden behind this "Kamov's" order of the film - far-sighted advertising, a demonstration of potential strength or raising patriotic sentiments in society - the tape came out not just an adventure, but also a landmark.

And since then, the Ka-50, having changed several nicknames - the American "Black Ghost", the German Werwolf (werewolf), forever remained invulnerable and mysterious "Black Shark", a real aggressive predator and formidable master of airspace.

Ka-50 - the most secret helicopter of the past

This predator of heaven first "became on the wing" about 30 years ago and since then she has no equal in the art of air combat.

One of the most advanced helicopters in the world was created for the Soviet army at the end of the USSR, the secrecy of the progress of work was the highest - to get a photo of the Ka 50 helicopter and its specification was the cherished dream of residents of many intelligence agencies of NATO countries.

The tests of the new machine of the Kamov Design Bureau were carried out so secretly that it was decided to disguise the body of the helicopter as a civilian one, giving it an external resemblance to serial machines of early releases - light color, lime windows and hatches were pasted on a combat helicopter.

However, they decided to abandon the stickers when one of the "windows" peeled off during the flight and almost caused an emergency, hitting the propeller blades.

Take a look at the photo of the Ka 50 helicopter - this machine is surprisingly similar to a toy. It is small in size, somewhat angular, with only one pilot and a large number of onboard weapons - by the standards of Soviet military aviation, the Black Shark bears very little resemblance to the classic "pot-bellied" Mil Design Bureau helicopters.

Watch the video - Attack helicopter Ka-50:

Unique features of the Ka-50 helicopter

Ka 50 is a very expensive car, stuffed with electronics to the eyeballs, which is why its cost exceeds $ 2.5 million.

This is both a combat helicopter and a toy for an experienced pilot - the combat systems are controlled by almost pressing a single button, the guidance system is controlled by the eyes of the pilot (!), i.e. at the point to which the eyes of the pilot are turned, all the onboard weapons from missiles to guns are aimed!

This is the only helicopter of the military industry of the Earth, which: has an armored cockpit; able to change direction almost instantly, turn around in one place during the flight without any stop; equipped with pilot ejection systems and automatic return to the take-off airfield if the pilot is unable to control it (wounded, killed).

The public demonstration of the Black Shark helicopter, which at that time had the code designation B 80, took place in early 1992 - it was in this year that the name of its genuine series was heard - Ka 50, a project of the Kamov Design Bureau. Journalists and military advisers of world powers tirelessly clicked the shutters of their cameras - the photo of the Ka 50 helicopter became a real sensation in the early 90s.

By the way, at that time this car was called more according to the NATO classification "Hokum A" or "Werewolf" - a drawn wolf's head adorned the tail rudder of a helicopter at an air show in Farnborough (UK).

Why was the Ka-50 project called the Black Shark?

So where did his more famous nickname "Black Shark" come from? The background of the name is as follows - in 1983, the Hollywood action movie "Blue Thunder" was released, in which the main character was a kind of super helicopter, a sort of cross between the French "Gazelle" and AH 64 "Apache".

This helicopter made a great impression on the spectators of the planet, despite one circumstance - most of the amazing stunts were performed by its radio-controlled model, because. a real aircraft was not capable of them.

In 1993, the Kamov Design Bureau and producer S. Ptichkin made a kind of "knight's move", creating the film "Black Shark", in which the Ka 50 was presented in all its glory and power.

The task of the film with a simple plot was twofold: to push the leadership of the Russian Federation to make a decision to include these helicopters in the Armed Forces and to advertise the machine among the broad masses for the prestige of the Soviet army.

The competition between the two Russian design bureaus is demonstrated in the plot of the film: "Black Shark" easily destroys the most serial helicopter of the Design Bureau "Mila" - Mi 24. Despite the slight artistry, the film was accepted by the audience, and photos of the Ka 50 helicopter swept through the media.

The decision to equip the Russian army with Black Sharks was made in 1995, but only 18 vehicles were produced, of which three died during testing - in all three cases, the test pilots violated the maximum permissible loads on the vehicles and refused to eject, trying to save cars.

Looking at the photo of the Ka 50 helicopter, you see one of the best combat vehicles on Earth, the project of which was never completed...

Helicopter KA-50 - the best combat vehicle

In 1992, at the world air shows in Farnborough and Le Bourget, the Russian Ka-50 attack helicopter, soon called the Black Shark, became a real sensation.

The main feature of the new machine was the coaxial layout of the rotors, which had never been used before in the production of front-line helicopters. Thanks to this innovation, the device acquired completely unique flying qualities.

The machine is capable of moving backward or sideways at speeds up to 80-90 km / h, performing some aerobatics peculiar only to it, for example, making a "funnel", in which an object on the ground is circled while constantly holding it in sight.

The Black Shark helicopter became the first single-seat combat helicopter. By reducing the crew, it was possible to significantly reduce the weight of the vehicle and the width of its fuselage, which further increased survivability.

Also, the safety of the structure (and at the same time the thrust power) was increased by eliminating the tail rotor.

In addition to having excellent flight properties, the Black Shark helicopter is also the first rotorcraft in the world to use an effective rocket-parachute ejection system.

At the same time, the rescue of the pilot is possible in the entire range of speeds and altitudes, from zero to maximum.

The safety of the ejection is ensured by the preliminary shooting of a part of the cockpit glazing and, most importantly, the propeller blades. The reduction of the crew to one pilot became possible thanks to the use of the most advanced systems of avionics, control, detection and tracking of the target.

Watch related videos - Black Shark Helicopter:

The weapon of the flying Shark Kamov

A very significant factor was the use of synchronous with the turn of the pilot's head aiming weapons at the target (due to the placement electronic system aiming on the pilot's helmet).

The use of Vikhr laser anti-tank missiles, which hit the enemy at a distance of up to 10 km and act completely autonomously after the launch, without further participation of the pilot, also improves the combat qualities of the helicopter (the “fire-and-forget” scheme).

The Black Shark helicopter is capable of carrying up to 12 ATGMs that can penetrate 900 mm armor (including active). In addition to the Whirlwinds, the main armament is also a 30-mm automatic cannon, capable of effectively hitting lightly armored enemy vehicles at a distance of up to 3 km.

The developers abandoned the use of specialized aircraft guns and decided to use a gun designed for land-based BMP-2s.

This significantly increased the reliability of firing in conditions of increased dustiness at low altitudes, as well as the penetration of armor and the range of confident target destruction.

The gun is equipped with armor-piercing and high-explosive fragmentation (or high-explosive-incendiary) shells, while the shooter himself chooses the type of ammunition used, the required rate of fire and the duration of the burst produced.

It is also possible to equip the helicopter with a wide variety of weapons weighing up to 500 kg on each of the pylons: NURS (up to 80 RS 80 mm in total, 40 are used regularly), air-to-air missiles, additional rapid-fire 23 mm aircraft cannons, various bombs.

black shark in movies

"Black Shark" became the first domestic helicopter, for which the manufacturer ordered a real feature film for a kind of advertising. At the same time, the idea of ​​​​the script matured back in Soviet times, the shooting took place just in the process of the collapse of the USSR, and the film was released on the screens already in 1993.

As a result, the film turned out to be mixed with real and completely fantastic events. The movie was called that: "Black Shark", and just after the release of the film, this sonorous name "stuck" to the Ka-50 combat helicopter itself.

It is worth noting one interesting feature. The device was developed as a shock, with the main specialization of work on heavy armored vehicles of the enemy. In the film, the pilot enthusiastically shoots armored personnel carriers, manpower, destroys heroin factories and bunkers.

It would seem - absolutely not the intended use of an expensive combat vehicle. But when it came time to test the new helicopters in combat conditions, it turned out that the tasks they faced were very similar to those that were "worked out" in the game film.

Features of Russian combat helicopter projects

It just so happened that the Soviet, and then the Russian army, for about 30 years now, has been conducting its operations mainly in the southern theaters in mountainous areas. And it was here that the brilliant flying qualities of the "Black Shark" appeared!

The coaxial scheme allows you to feel great in narrow mountain gorges, hover, abruptly start moving sideways or backwards, and low noise and excellent functionality of using weapons give you a chance to strike quickly without a big risk of timely detection by the enemy.

In the future, all these qualities led to the fact that today the Ka-50 "Black Shark" helicopter and its command modification Ka-52 "Alligator" are considered as ideal equipment for special equipment troops.

Watch the video - Helicopter project Ka-52:

But for the role of the main combat all-army vehicle, another still Soviet development, the Mi-28 "Night Hunter", is currently being proposed.

By the way, 30 years ago, the future "Shark" won the "preliminary race" from its competitor and was adopted by a government decision as the main attack helicopter of the Soviet army aviation. But time, as usual, made its own adjustments.

And - the last moment. It just so happened that in Chechnya, one of the two vehicles included in the combat strike group turned out to be the same "copy number 5", which at one time played in the movie "Black Shark" and, thus, gave its name to all its brothers.

Film Black Shark - advertising of military equipment in Russian

As it turned out, the Kamov Design Bureau was ahead of its time, not only by creating the Ka-50 multifunctional superhelicopter, but also among the first (in our country, at least) by applying an effective promotional move for it.

Designers order a feature film that demonstrates all the technical and military superiority of this combat army vehicle - the "Black Shark".

The film Black Shark is conceived in the genre of action-adventure film based on half-fictional-half-real events - the war in Afghanistan.

Of course, the "Black Shark" did not fight there (if the Soviet Army then had such a helicopter, it is not known who and where would withdraw its troops). In the tape we are talking about special forces operations to destroy drug factories located clandestinely on the territory of this country.

The plot is unusually simple, the plot is linear and unpretentious. Actually, the "Black Shark" itself appears there supposedly quite by accident.

But after all, the tasks of this film were practically non-cinematic. Yes and great experience domestic filmmakers have not yet had much to create military action films of a new type. Therefore, the tape turned out to be "passing" and did not break out into blockbusters.

The film Black Shark could have gone completely unnoticed, if not for its "main performer" - the same "Black Shark", which plunged the whole world into a complete knockout with its real appearance at air shows.

Good move in advertising military equipment

You don't have to be a great expert on either aviation technology or military affairs to immediately understand that at the moment there is Something in the air.

Therefore, even boring film critics were restrained - shots of a real flight of a real helicopter, even in a feature film, worked better than any advertising film stunts and captured the attention of the audience easily and powerfully.

Moreover, there were no special editing techniques, compositional angles in the film - the supermachine turned out to be so "cinegenic", active in the frame, plot-effective, dramatic-perfect and strong in impact - that special camera tricks were not required at all to achieve the desired effect. .

The super-maneuverability of a combat helicopter, its ultra-modern weapons, the ability to perfectly control a combat situation and control several enemy targets at the same time are admired not only by specialists, but also by ordinary spectators.

Features of the movie Black Shark

Shots of the sudden appearance of a Russian helicopter are accompanied by successful music, panoramic shots are replaced by shots of the faces of the pilots - ours - calm and confident, the enemy - amazed and puzzled.

"Black Shark" demonstrates aerobatics and the use of his weapons, in short, for several minutes the viewer sits spellbound.

In fact, that's what movies are made for. The "Black Shark" here is like an omnipotent deity, cracking down on enemies like cardboard targets, and a superhero, who, as usual, is many times superior to his opponent. Emotions that overwhelm the viewer rise to high patriotism, they say, that's how we can.

Above the "historical ashes" of the once great country, the mighty embodiment of its excess, as always, talent and strength flies. This really needs to be filmed.

Simply, alas, the artistic framing of this "diamond of technical and design thought" (read, the film's screenwriting, its budgetary articles, the ensemble cast, etc.) did not allow our authors to unfold, as they say, "to the full extent of the universe."

But our trump card was real and worthy. Moreover, the trump card is of such an engineering and computer level that a real ace was invited to manage it - Major General of the Air Force, Hero of the Soviet Union Vostrotin Valery.

Of course, he is not an artist, some "heroic superstar" of domestic cinema would have pulled out this acting line much more significantly, but then again - only one character ignites in this tape - "Black Shark".

The footage of the "last hunt" of this beauty from the film of the now last century has been actively dispersed on the Internet into separate videos and pictures. It’s good that there was such a film, only the real fate of its main character, Black Shark, is sad, however, as well as the country that created it.

Watch Movie "Black Shark":

Project Ka-50 - Akula attack helicopter

Currently, the Russian army is armed with one of the most interesting and unique combat vehicles in all military history. This is an attack helicopter KA 50 Akula, developed by Soviet designers in the mid-80s of the last century.

The unusual design of the apparatus and unique technical solutions distinguish the KA-50 from foreign and domestic counterparts. The history of this machine is also interesting.

At the very beginning of the 1970s, the MI-24 helicopter entered service with the Soviet army aviation. This aircraft performed the functions of fire support for motorized rifle units from the air and was supposed to destroy enemy manpower and armored vehicles.

During the development of the helicopter, the concept of a kind of "flying infantry fighting vehicle" was incorporated into it: a motorized rifle or airborne squad could be taken on board.

In this regard, the firepower of the vehicle, quite effective against infantry and armored personnel carriers, was not sufficient to fight tanks and other military equipment an enemy with powerful armor.

Related video - Helicopter of the Ka-50 Akula project:

Arms race in helicopter industry

In addition, information was soon received that the Americans began developing a specialized attack helicopter, which later became known as the Apache.

In this situation, domestic designers were tasked with creating a similar combat vehicle, focused primarily on combating heavy armored vehicles.

A kind of competition began between two design bureaus: the authors of the MI-24 helicopter operating in the ground units and the Kamov group, which had previously developed successful combat vehicles for the fleet. As a result, in the early 80s, two prototypes were created: the future MI-28 and KA-50 Black Shark.

The KA 50 helicopter (which then bore the name B-80) was distinguished primarily by the use of two coaxial rotors and the absence of a tail propeller.

A similar scheme was previously used on marine vehicles developed by the Kamov Design Bureau and was due, among other things, to space saving and additional safety considerations.

On land-based helicopters, the use of a coaxial scheme has become a fundamental innovation that has given certain advantages: increased thrust, saving engine power by eliminating the transmission to the tail rotor, increasing the security of components and assemblies, etc.

Photo: The cockpit and instruments of the helicopter "Black Shark"

Features and weapons of the Ka-50 helicopter

The KA 50 helicopter, which later became known as the Black Shark, also featured innovations such as reducing the crew to one pilot and using a catapult to rescue the pilot in the event of an accident.

At the same time, ejection on serial rotorcraft has never been used by anyone before. The unique pilot rescue system included, in addition to the ejection seat itself and the parachute, automatic firing of propeller blades and parts of the cockpit canopy.

The KA 50 Akula helicopter received the most powerful armament at that time in its class of combat vehicles.

The standard complex included a 30-mm automatic cannon, effective against lightly armored vehicles and manpower, 12 Vikhr anti-tank missiles guided by a laser beam, hitting the enemy at a distance of up to 10 km, and 40 unguided rockets with a caliber of 80 mm.

The combat set of the gun includes up to 460 armor-piercing and high-explosive fragmentation shells. The pilot can vary the rate of fire (350 or 550 rounds per minute), the type of projectiles used and the length of the burst (automatic cut-off after 10 or 20 rounds fired).

In addition to standard weapons, the Ka-50 Black Shark helicopter can carry on pylons automatic 23-mm aircraft guns, high-explosive, incendiary and cluster bombs weighing from 100 to 500 kg, missiles to combat aircraft, as well as various types of NURS.

Watch video - Kamov helicopters:

Interesting facts about the Black Shark project helicopter

After several years of testing and refinement, in September 1985 it was decided that the KA-50 would be the main attack helicopter of the Soviet armed forces.

In the future, the path of the machine to the army was quite long - various political and economic factors intervened. In the early 90s, the final field tests were carried out, including directly in the troops.

The final decision to put the Ka-50 Black Shark helicopter into service was made only in August 1995, when the corresponding decree of the President of Russia was issued.

Since then, ten production cars have been produced. Two of them participated in the battles in Chechnya. In general, the effectiveness of the strike link of the two "sharks" was rated quite highly.

However, later it was decided to equip the KA-50 helicopters only with various parts of the special forces. As the main army attack vehicle, it is planned to use the Black Shark's long-time competitor, the Mi-28 (Night Hunter modification).

Another very unusual story is connected with the Ka-50 helicopter. In addition to hostilities, this unit also took part in the filming of the film "Black Shark". Moreover, it is worth noting that the combat vehicle played in this film, in fact, the main role.

At present, the production of the KA-50 has been discontinued, and a newer modification, the Ka-52 Alligator, is being produced instead, which differs primarily in the presence of a crew of two people.

Ka-50 Black Shark - Soviet attack helicopter developed by the Kamov Design Bureau in the early 1980s.

History of the Ka-50

In the 1970s, the main combat helicopter in the USSR was - the machine, of course, is effective and has become legendary. However, over the years it became obvious that the concept of a "flying infantry fighting vehicle" - an attack helicopter capable of carrying troops did not justify itself: the military rarely used the cargo compartment, and at the same time, it increased the weight and dimensions of the helicopter, which limited its impact characteristics .

This concept was put to rest by successful work in the United States on the creation of a new generation of helicopters, which culminated in an extremely successful attack helicopter, which is still successfully used in the armies of many countries.

In 1976, the Central Committee of the CPSU issued a decree on the creation of a new generation attack helicopter. The order was received by two eternal competitors: OKB Mil and OKB Kamov.

Based on their experience in the development and use of helicopters, as well as data on the work of American aviators, the Milevites chose the classic scheme of a single-rotor armored helicopter without a landing cabin - the result of this work is now Russia's main combat helicopter.

The Kamov Design Bureau, on the other hand, had rich experience in creating helicopters with a coaxial propeller arrangement (two propellers one above the other) - an exotic scheme, but, under certain conditions, very effective, which confirmed the spread of their helicopters in the fleet. In the new project, the Kamovites did not change themselves. Designing a model with a coaxial scheme B-80 (product 800) began in 1977 under the leadership of chief designer Mikheev.

The coaxial scheme has many advantages over the classical one: the absence of a tail rotor, increased lift, and maneuverability of the helicopter. But there are also disadvantages, first of all, the complexity of the design, which increased the requirements for the quality of assembly of machines and their maintenance. In addition, the B-80 had one more difference from its counterparts - it was single-seat. The idea was that one pilot-operator is enough to solve the main tasks of piloting and combat (the Mi-28 and AH-64 have two crew members: a separate pilot and a separate operator), and all auxiliary work should be automated.

In 1980, direct work began on the creation of the Mi-28 and V-80 helicopters. In 1981, the Kamov Design Bureau defended its preliminary design. By 1982, the first prototype was ready. In the summer of 1982, the B-80 took off for the first time.

The testing process was not without incidents. For example, B-80 flights were carried out literally a few kilometers from the Moscow Ring Road near Moscow, where the Kamov Design Bureau test complex was located. Active flying in front of thousands of people didn't really fit the idea that the B-80 was supposedly a secret military project. As a result, the Kamovites had to be cunning - the prototype was painted blue and portholes were painted, pretending that the B-80 was just another cargo helicopter.

By 1983, the second prototype came out, already equipped with new engines and weapons.

In 1984, State tests of the V-80 and Mi-28 began. In April 1985, the second experimental B-80 was first demonstrated to the top leadership of the Soviet Union at a demonstration of new aircraft in Machulishchi (Belarus). However, tragedy overtook the project. There was a catastrophe of the first prototype - as a result of excessive overloads during maneuvering, two screws collided and collapsed, one of the best pilots of the Design Bureau died. Some modifications were made to the design, excluding this in the future. At the end of 1985, the third prototype was made.

In 1987, following the completion of state tests, a decision was made to start serial production of the B-80 as the main combat helicopter of the Soviet army. The Mi-28 project was not curtailed - it was supposed to arrange its production and supply abroad.

In 1990, a decision was made to release an initial batch of 12 helicopters, which had already received the official name Ka-50. In 1992, one of the prototypes was presented at the Mosaeroshow air show, and later at the Farnborough air show. By this time, the black-painted Ka-50 managed to star in the feature film "Black Shark" from the name of which it got its unofficial name.

By 1995, the Ka-50 was officially adopted by the Russian army. Alas, the country's economic situation in the 1990s reduced appropriations to almost zero. There were no orders for large-scale production from the Ministry of Defense, and the old Mi-24 remained the main helicopter in the army. And there were only a dozen Black Sharks.

In 2000-2001, two Ka-50 helicopters as part of a strike group took part in hostilities on the territory of the Chechen Republic. Despite the high ratings given, the group was disbanded, and the Ministry of Defense preferred financing and purchasing Mi-28 modifications, and it was supposed to order no more than a few dozen Ka-50 modifications to equip special army units.

By the end of the first decade of the 21st century, the Mi-28 was chosen as the main combat helicopter of Russia, and for special units it was decided to order limited batches of the two-seater Ka-52. From the Ka-50, in fact, the military refused.

Video Ka-50: Helicopter demonstration flight in Monino, 2007

Design of the Ka-50

Ka-50- twin-engine single-seat helicopter with coaxial rotors. The helicopter is equipped with a straight wing of relatively large elongation and developed vertical and horizontal tail.

Helicopter fuselage - aircraft type. Composite materials account for up to 30% of the total mass of the structure.

The fuselage is divided into front, rear and tail sections:

In front of the fuselage is the cockpit and nose compartment. The pressurized cockpit is heavily armored and provides protection against armor-piercing bullets up to 12.7 mm caliber and shell fragments up to 23 mm caliber. The total weight of the armor is about 350 kg.

In the rear part of the fuselage there are two cartridge boxes for the gun, fuel tanks, electronic equipment for various purposes, engine mounts, hydraulic system and elements of the steering system, helicopter wings are installed under the engines.

The tail section of the fuselage is integrated with the keel. It contains blocks of radio-electronic equipment.

The helicopter is equipped with two gas turbine, turboshaft with a free turbine, TV3-117VMA engines with a capacity of 2203 hp. from. every. The engines are located in two engine nacelles and spaced apart on the sides of the fuselage. Exhaust shielding elements are installed behind the engines, which reduce the visibility of the helicopter in the infrared spectrum.

The carrier system of the helicopter consists of two three-blade propellers located coaxially.

The crew rescue system is based on a rocket-parachute system. During ejection, the main rotors and the cockpit canopy are fired. After that, the jet system is activated, which pulls the back of the seat with the pilot. After the jet engine is turned off, the seat belts are cut and the seat back is separated from the pilot, pulling the parachute. This system provides crew rescue in the speed range from 0 to 400 km/h and altitudes from 0 to 4000 meters.

Piloting and navigation complex "Radian" provides automated piloting, air navigation when interacting with other systems of the complex.

Modifications

• Ka-50 - serial modification
• Ka-50N is a modification capable of operating at any time of the day. It differs from the standard one by a thermal imaging sighting system mounted in the bow.
• Ka-50Sh is a deeper modification of the round-the-clock helicopter. It is distinguished by a reconfiguration of the bow, an installed thermal imager and an over-hub radar. Satellite navigation equipment has been added and some devices have been replaced.
• Ka-50-2 is a modification with a tandem arrangement of two crew members. It was originally created for export to Turkey in the late 1990s.
• The Ka-52 Alligator is a two-seat round-the-clock helicopter based on the Ka-50-2. The only one is mass-produced.

Armament

The Ka-50 is capable of carrying and using a wide range of different weapons with a total weight of up to 2800 kg.

The helicopter is equipped with a non-removable single-barrel automatic gun 2A42 caliber 30 mm. The maximum ammunition load of the gun is 460 rounds. With the help of a gun, it is possible to hit targets at a distance of four kilometers.

The main caliber of the helicopter is the Whirlwind anti-tank guided missiles, capable of hitting targets at a distance of 8000-10000 m. The Kh-25ML missile and R-73 air-to-air missiles can be suspended.

Unguided rocket weapons are represented by four blocks of twenty 80mm caliber rockets, or two blocks, five 122mm caliber rockets.

The helicopter is capable of carrying a wide range of bomb weapons.

Operation of the Ka-50

11 Ka-50 helicopters are in service with the Russian army.

30 years have passed imperceptibly since the first flight of one of the world's unique rotary-wing machines - the Ka-50 attack helicopter developed by the Kamov Design Bureau. Unfortunately, the media (including specialized aviation publications) somewhat forgot about this event, as well as about the car. We have taken the liberty of filling this gap.

The beginning of the practical stage of the competition for a promising combat helicopter was determined in August 1980 by a decision of the Commission of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers of the USSR on military-industrial issues. They were given the task of building two pairs of experimental prototypes of the V-80 and Mi-28, intended for comparative tests. In the same year, a single tactical and technical assignment of the Ministry of Defense for these vehicles was issued.

On June 17, 1982, test pilot Nikolai Bezdetnov first flew the Ka-50 prototype - V-80 and hovered on it, and on July 23, 1982, an experimental helicopter made its first flight in a circle.

To the credit of the designers of the Kamov Design Bureau, in a tough competition, their rotorcraft won the competition.

On December 14, 1987, a resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR was adopted, which determined the procedure and deadlines for completing the creation of a single-seat attack helicopter V-80Sh-1 and launching it into mass production at the Progress plant in Arsenyev. The B-80Sh-1 was recognized as the main promising combat helicopter of the Soviet Army.

The technical documentation for the production of an initial batch of such helicopters began to be transferred to the Progress plant back in 1989. The decision of the Commission on military-industrial issues of the Council of Ministers of the USSR on the construction at the Arsenyev plant of an installation series of 12 V-80Sh-1 helicopters, which soon received the new designation Ka-50, was issued in 1990. The following year, the lead machine (001, board No. 018) was manufactured here, the first flight on which was performed on May 22, 1991 by the factory test pilot A. I. Dovgan.

The first stage of the State tests of the Ka-50 (evaluation of flight performance) began in September 1990 on the 4th and 5th flight prototypes. In January 1992, the lead serial helicopter was transferred to the State Flight Test Center (GLITs) of the Ministry of Defense Russia and from February began flying under the program of the second stage of the State Tests (combat effectiveness assessment), which ended in December 1993.

In November 1993, military tests of the Ka-50 began at the 344th Combat Use Center (PCU) of the army aviation, based in Torzhok. The pilots and engineers of the 344th pulp and paper industry made a great contribution to the refinement of the helicopter and the development of tactics for its combat use. Major General Boris Vorobyov, head of the 344th PPI, major-general Boris Vorobyov (died tragically in 1998 during the flight test program) and his follower Colonel Alexander Rudykh (currently he is the most experienced pilot of this type of helicopter) contributed a lot to the improvement of the machine and the methodology of its piloting ).

As a result of development work, by the beginning of the 90s, the car acquired the look that is now known to many.

With a light hand, the journalist dubbed the Ka-50 helicopter the "Black Shark", which was facilitated by a feature film of the same name, filmed in the foothills of Chimgan in the Tashkent region of the Uzbek SSR (the Chirchik military airfield was used for testing in the mountainous area).

It would seem that it was possible to develop a new helicopter, bring its on-board systems, weapons, train pilots, purchase and transfer to the Air Force combat units. But new times and new people have made their adjustments. By the decision of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force Mikhailov, another attack helicopter, the Mi-28N, was adopted by the Russian Air Force, which at that time was a prototype combat helicopter, and it did not pass state tests (by the way, they were completed only in 2008).

The magnificent example of helicopter construction Ka-50, by an evil twist of fate, was not needed by the Russian Air Force and remained in existence in the form of a dozen helicopters, the last of which continue to carry out combat service in the 344th TsBPiPLS.

Later, the new leadership of the Air Force, apparently more soberly assessing the possibility of the Ka-50, ordered a revised version of this helicopter under the index - Ka-52, called "Alligator". The machine again turned out to be the most modern among all types of helicopters of the Russian Air Force and at least 140 aircraft are expected to enter the Air Force. But that's another story......

We offer a large photoset of the Ka-50 "Black Shark" (Hocum A) helicopter both in flight and in static mode.

prospects
Unfortunately, this model of helicopter technology, which was decades ahead of the concept of strike weapons, remained unclaimed in the Russian Air Force. Although it is obvious that the helicopter has a huge resource for modernization and use modern systems avionics, engines, air defense systems and guided missile weapons.

A separate, very interesting direction could be the creation of an unmanned strike complex based on the Ka-50, with amazing maneuverability, power-to-weight ratio and survivability. A group of such strike UAVs, controlled from a command post based on the Ka-52 or Ka-31, could successfully solve the tasks of performing assault strikes, destroying enemy armored vehicles and communications, without the risk of losing pilots.

Combat use
On military forums and Internet resources of military subjects, disputes periodically flare up about the effectiveness of combat helicopters of this type. Arguing is a fascinating but thankless business. Therefore, I propose to give the floor to the test pilots themselves, since they have experience in using the Ka-50 in combat conditions during the 2nd Chechen campaign.

It should be recalled here that the experimental combat strike group (BUG), consisting of two Ka-50 attack helicopters and one Ka-29VPNTSU target designation helicopter, was based at the Severny airfield near Grozny from December 26, 2000 to February 15, 2001. Helicopters, pilots and technicians of the BUG worked out the combat use and maintenance of new machines in conditions as close as possible to combat ones, including new tactics of use with external target designation.

For information, it is recommended to watch a cut from the Smotr program in two parts, about the combat use of Ka-50 Black Shark helicopters in Chechnya in 2000-2001 with test pilot interviews and documentary footage of combat work.

When preparing materials, the resource was used

The Ka-50 "Black Shark" is a Soviet/Russian single-seat attack helicopter designed to destroy armored and mechanized vehicles, air targets and manpower on the battlefield.

Ka-50 Black Shark - video

History of creation

To the design of the second (after the "Ka-29") combat helicopter, which received the designation "B-80", in the Design Bureau named after N.I. Kamov started in 1976. The second, since the anti-submarine Ka-15 had no other weapons other than depth charges, and the Ka-25 PLO helicopter, shown at the air show in Tushino in July 1961, carried sham missiles. I think the choice of the scheme of the new car was not easy. On the one hand, unique experience has been accumulated in the development of coaxial helicopters, which made it possible to significantly improve maneuverability and obtain a higher flight duration and range with the same payload than single-rotor helicopters. On the other hand, the customer - front-line aviation - accumulated its baggage by operating helicopters created in the Design Bureau named after M.L. Mile. Naturally, over the course of 30 years, certain ties have also developed that have a positive effect on the combat readiness of the helicopter units of the ground forces. This means that it was necessary to create a machine that would destroy the existing stereotypes and be able to demonstrate its superiority already at the initial stage of flight tests. When choosing the appearance of the "B-80", the following were considered: longitudinal and transverse schemes with two screws, a classic single-screw with tail rotor and coaxial.

According to military experts, about a third of all helicopter combat losses in Afghanistan were due to damage to the tail rotor transmission. Therefore, analyzing the experience of the combat use of helicopters, the first schemes were rejected due to low combat survivability. Based on this, in the Design Bureau named after N.I. Kamov relied on a coaxial machine, in which there is no tail rotor and extended transmissions to the rotors. Moreover, if the oil system units were damaged, the transmission could remain operational for 30 minutes. In addition, the smaller dimensions of the helicopter reduced its visual and radar visibility.

To reduce the thermal radiation of the exhaust, special ejector nozzles were installed on the engine nacelles. Both engines are interchangeable, and their nozzles are made swivel, which made it possible to direct the exhaust jets both to the right and to the left.

The bet on the coaxial scheme, contrary to skeptics, made it possible to cut many "tight" knots, which now and then arose even in the process of preliminary design. But the main thing that the designers decided on was, contrary to established views, to rely on a single-seat car. At the same time, it was hoped that the industry would be able to create equipment to help the pilot find and choose weapons. The single-seat layout of the helicopter also made it possible to reduce the weight of body armor, reduce the cost of training flight and technical personnel, and reduce the loss of pilots in wartime. And there is no need to speak about the reduction in the required number of places in kindergartens and schools in the garrisons, as well as the need for additional housing for the families of military personnel.

On a single-seat coaxial helicopter, the tasks of emergency escape were easier to solve when using ejection systems. In particular, the K-37-800 ejection seat with a parachute-jet system, designed for low-speed aircraft, was adapted to the V-80. Such a seat allows the pilot to leave the car at a speed of 90 to 350 km / h in the entire altitude range up to 6000 m, and in an inverted position - at altitudes of 35 m, having previously shot off the rotor blades. In the latter case, if the helicopter is inverted and diving, the minimum escape altitude must be at least 180 m.

Another feature of the "B-80" was the design of the airframe. The basis of the power circuit of the fuselage is a box, covered with skin panels from the outside. In its central part, various units of systems and equipment are located. This layout made it possible subsequently to easily develop two two-seat versions of the vehicle with a tandem ("Ka-50-2") and in-line ("Ka-52") arrangement of crew members, as well as to change and rearrange equipment, weapons and add new systems.

Another feature of the machine was the retractable landing gear, which the designers of the M.L. Mile in the development of "Mi-28" and "Mi-35". But it is dangerous to create a car, relying solely on new products, and technology, which develops according to its own laws, forces the use of similar technical solutions. So, in the Ka-50 and Mi-28, the engines were located not in a single block, as on their predecessors, but along the sides of the fuselage, which excluded their defeat with one shot. A higher weight return and thrust-to-weight ratio (due to the absence of losses on the tail rotor) allowed the Ka-50 to continue flying in the event of a failure of one of the engines. In addition, armored glass and combined armor made of steel and aluminum alloys were used on the helicopter to protect the pilot from weapons of destruction. Shielded the machine control system, the most important units and equipment. We developed a double-circuit design of the main rotor blade spar and much more, which helps to increase the combat survivability and operational efficiency of the machine.

The arsenal of the helicopter included a 30-mm limitedly mobile gun "2A42" with 460 rounds of ammunition (the angles of deflection of the gun in the vertical plane from -2° to +9° and in the horizontal plane from -37° to +3°). Not enough, but the lack of mobility of the gun was offset by the high maneuverability of the helicopter. Remember, after all, on the Mi-24P the gun was completely motionless. The gun is designed to deal with lightly armored targets at ranges up to 1,500 m, and ATGM installations against tanks at ranges up to 8,000-10,000 m and subsonic air targets at altitudes up to 2,000 m with a slant range up to 2,500 m.

A feature of the 2A42 gun is selective (selective) ammunition supply and a variable rate of fire. In addition, on four external hardpoints it is possible to place universal cannon containers UPK-23-250 with a double-barreled gun "GSh-23L" and an ammunition load of 250 rounds, unguided aircraft missiles (NAR) "S-13", "S-8" and " S-24", up to 12 Vikhr ATGMs in transport and launch containers and X-25ML air-to-ground missiles with laser guidance. In addition, it is allowed to hang four Igla-V or R-73 air-to-air guided missiles, as well as air bombs of 100 to 500 kg caliber, KMGU-2 small-sized cargo containers, ZB-500 incendiary tanks and unified disposable bombs. cassettes RBC-250/500. Since the time of the inventor P.I. Grokhovsky (installed three-inch field guns on the TB-1 bomber) this is the second case of using a gun designed for ground armored vehicles in the domestic aircraft industry. The main disadvantage of "2A42" is its large weight, and the main advantages - high starting speed projectile and aiming range, reaching 4000 m. Small and ammunition, almost three times less than that of the "Apache", but this does not apply to the gun, but to the features of the helicopter.

The Vikhr anti-tank missile system with laser guidance began to be developed at the Tula Design Bureau in 1980 for the Ka-50 and the Su-25T attack aircraft. The first version of the Vikhr complex with the 9A4172 guided missile was put into service in 1985. The high efficiency of the complex was confirmed during comparative tests of the Ka-50 and Mi-28 helicopters, but with the Shturm-VM and Ataka ATGMs, which took place from September 1986 to October 1986 at the Gorokhovets training ground. The main warhead of the rocket is a cumulative high-explosive fragmentation.

To increase the flight range, a suspension of up to four 500-liter fuel tanks is provided.

In 1980, the USSR Ministry of Defense developed a unified tactical and technical task for the Ka-50 and Mi-28, and in May of the following year, the preliminary design and layout of the Ka-50 were defended. A year later, on June 17, test pilot OKB N.P. Childless performed hovering on it (tail number 010), and on July 23 - the first flight in a circle. Then, test pilot E.I. OKB joined the tests of the Ka-50. LARYUSHIN. Mastered the car and test pilot of the Air Force Research Institute V.I. Kostin. But it was not yet a combat helicopter. There was no armament on it, and the short wing was set at a high angle. The latter contributed more to the creation of additional lift in level flight and to an increase in the propulsion force of the rotors to achieve top speed. Both the streamlined fuselage shape and the retractable landing gear were aimed at this. In general, it was a demonstration model of a future combat vehicle, on which it is just right to set world records. But the OKB employees had no time for records, since it was necessary not only to create a machine in accordance with the requirements of the customer, but also to surpass such an experienced rival in the person of the Moscow Helicopter Plant named after M.L. Mile.

Tests of the first prototype "B-80" made it possible to determine the main flight data and evaluate its maneuverability. Since the tests of the V-80 were carried out in the Moscow region, at the request of the secret service officers, “civilian” symbols were applied to the helicopter, and a film with porthole drawings was pasted on the sides. But it almost led to tragedy. In one of the flights, the film peeled off and got into the engine. After that, the disguise was abandoned. The fate of this car was tragic. On April 3, 1985, during a demonstration flight, test pilot E.I. LARYUSHIN. At the end of the flight, the pilot had to demonstrate the exit from the battle, performing a downward spiral with a turn of up to 360 degrees. In this mode, the car got into the so-called "vortex ring", which led to the whipping of the rotor blades. I will immediately warn you that not only coaxial helicopters, but also other schemes fall into this mode.

After this incident, the distance between the rotors was increased, and a loading mechanism was included in the control system, which made it difficult to control the machine. The second flight copy (tail number 011) with TVZ-117VMA engines, which took off on August 16, 1983, was equipped with all major systems, including air conditioning, and was intended for testing weapons and aviation equipment. In particular, they mounted the Rubikon sighting-pilot-navigation system (PrPNK), though not yet brought to condition, and the limitedly mobile gun mount NPPU-80. This car was first demonstrated to the top leadership of the Soviet Union. It happened in April 1985 at the Machulishchi airfield (Belarus).

Design Bureau named after N.I. Kamov received an addition to the terms of reference for the V-80 in terms of increasing the requirements for a set of equipment and weapons and the construction of another prototype Ka-50Sh1 in the attack aircraft version and launching it into serial production at the Progress plant in Arseniev. Technical documentation for the manufacture of an installation series of 12 Ka-50Sh1 machines began to be transferred in 1989. The following year, the enterprise produced the lead vehicle (tail number 018), which received the designation "Ka-50". The first flight on May 22, 1991 was performed by the factory test pilot A.I. Dovgan.

Information about the novelty of the Soviet aviation industry quickly penetrated the walls of the Iron Curtain, and NATO assigned its code designation Hokum A to it. No. 014). The standard for the installation series was the fifth prototype of the V-80 built in April 1990 (tail number 015). Both machines differed from their predecessors in devices for shooting passive interference (heat traps) UV-26 in cassettes at the wingtips, warning equipment for radar and laser exposure, as well as a digital weapon control system. In addition, target designation equipment was included in the Rubicon. The analog weapon control system was replaced by a digital one.

At the same time, for the first time, an ejection seat with a rocket-parachute pilot rescue system was installed on car No. 015. State tests of this system, which has no analogues in the world, which received the designation "K-37-800", were carried out by a brigade of the Air Force Research Institute headed by N.F. Babintsev and successfully ended with the ejection of parachutist M.M. Bannikov from the An-12LL laboratory aircraft. A feature of the ejection system was the firing of the rotor blades of the helicopter and the pulling out of the seat with the pilot using a solid propellant engine, which ensures his salvation in almost any flight mode. Subsequently, on the basis of the "K-37-800" was created and tested a set of means of emergency escape two-seater helicopter "Ka-52".

For two years, from July 1988 to June 1990, on machines no. and gas-dynamic stability of engines, as well as electromagnetic compatibility of electronic equipment.

The stage of joint state tests of the "B-80" to determine the flight characteristics at the Air Force Research Institute began in September 1990 on the fourth and fifth flight copies of the "B-80". In February 1992, the first machine of installation series No. 018, on which combat effectiveness was evaluated, was also received at Chkalovskaya near Moscow. State tests were completed in December 1993 with a positive result. According to one version, this machine subsequently received onboard number 18 and was exhibited at MAKS-2003 from the GOES "Samshit-50".

In 1990, the USSR Military-Industrial Commission instructed the Ministry of Aviation Industry to manufacture the Ka-50 installation series of 12 vehicles at the Progress plant in Arsenyev, Primorsky Krai. The first Ka-50, built in Arsenyev, took off on May 22, 1991. The car was piloted by the factory test pilot A.I. Dovgan. A month later (June 28) the first control and test flight took place. This time the helicopter was flown by a senior military acceptance test pilot, Lieutenant Colonel S. Denisenko. While the Soviet Union existed, this work was financed, but with the collapse of the country manufacturing process violated, and in 1994 the production of machines slowed down. Two years later, eight helicopters of the installation (experimental) series were handed over to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Another car (serial number 03-02) was paid for in 2000, and it stood at the factory airfield for almost a year until funds were found to transport it to the European part of the country. The factory test pilots V. Obrevko and V. Klimenok also participated in the factory tests of the serial Ka-50.

Eight helicopters handed over to the customer were delivered to the 344th PPI and PLS of army aviation in Torzhok, and one machine was converted into a two-seat Ka-52. In June 1993, the Ka-50 was first demonstrated at the 40th Aviation and Space Salon in Paris. In flight it was shown by OKB test pilot Dmitry Avtukhov.

In 1993, at the Design Bureau named after N.I. Kamov prepared a draft design of the night version of the "B-80". After the approval of the project at the Krasnogorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant, they began to develop a round-the-clock version of the Shkval-V surveillance and sighting system, which was supposed to additionally include a night channel based on a thermal imager. However, due to a delay in funding in the mid-1990s, thermal imaging systems had to be temporarily used instead. French company"Thomson". One of the thermal imagers was demonstrated at MAKS-1995 on a pre-production copy of the Ka-50 (tail number 020). In November 1993, military tests of the vehicle began in order to work out the tactics of its combat use. Follow-up of a serial helicopter to the proper technical level on August 28, 1995

"V-80Sh1" by decree of the President of the Russian Federation was adopted under the designation "Ka-50". This was the apogee of the "Black Shark", because due to financial difficulties, only ten mass-produced cars were built. And then the "Milevites" again went for broke, but more on that later, but for now I will describe further events in the "biography" of the "Ka-50".

Separately, we should dwell on the use of ATGMs of the Vikhr complex with laser guidance, the reliability of which was then estimated as 0.99985. There were no failures and PrPNK "Rubicon". Supersonic speed did not allow the enemy to detect a missile flying up to him in time and interfere. In addition, shelling of armored vehicles on the march and deployed for an attack is carried out outside the zone of destruction of enemy air defense systems. Thus, by December 1994, a real anti-tank helicopter of a new generation appeared in the country. But the chronic lack of money in the early 1990s did not allow us to realize our plans. Therefore, all eyes rushed abroad in search of a reliable customer, and the first on this path was Slovakia, which Russia, as the successor to the USSR, owed a tidy sum. There was also a proposal to supply V-80Sh1 there, and this required a good advertising campaign. For this purpose, in October 1996, a delegation headed by S.V. Mikheev, and "Ka-50" - under its own power. During the days of his stay in Slovakia, military pilot S. Zolotov from Torzhok repeatedly demonstrated the aerobatic characteristics of the Ka-50, and on October 22-23 he flew three times to demonstrate the use of weapons at the training ground. The success was enormous. Many in Russia and Slovakia have already rubbed their hands, but the order was cancelled. Slovakia, like other countries of the former socialist camp, was quickly crushed by NATO with its own standards of military equipment. By 2007, the industry had produced only 15 machines, including prototypes.

Tests of the "Ka-50" showed the possibility of flying at speeds up to 390 km / h, however, for production vehicles, this parameter was limited to 315 km / h. As befits a helicopter, the Ka-50 can move sideways and backwards at a speed of 80 and 90 km/h, respectively. The flight manual limits the maximum permissible overload to 3.5 g, bank angles not more than 70 °, pitch - ± 60 ° and angular velocity in all axes within 60 ° per second.

On the "Ka-50" you can also perform a "dead loop", which is more suitable for an air show. But after the death of General Vorobyov, this was not practiced.

The absence of cross-links in the control system ensures easy piloting, allows pilots of medium qualification to quickly master the helicopter. For example, the Ka-50 successfully performs a "funnel" inaccessible to single-rotor helicopters when the vehicle moves with a negative pitch angle of about 30-35 degrees, keeping the target in the pilot's field of view.

Another feature of the machine, inherited from its predecessors, is the ability to hover over one point for a long time, which is extremely difficult to do on classic helicopters. Or, for example, using aerodynamic rudders, you can turn the fuselage in any direction, while maintaining the direction of flight, which gives certain tactical advantages in combat. During tests in one of the helicopter blades, made of composite material, made 30 holes from automatic small arms, after which she was put on a test stand, where she “flew” another 80 hours.

"Ka-50" after its appearance due to the black color was nicknamed "Werwolf", which means "werewolf" in German. But after the release of the film “Black Shark” in the early 1990s, where the main role was “played” by “B-80” No. 015, this nickname stuck with him for life. The movie also contributed to the popularity of the helicopter not only among the people, but also in the Armed Forces.

Ka-50 in combat

After the completion of state tests, the Ka-50 was sent to the 344th pulp and paper industry and PLS, which was headed by Major General E.A. Vorobyov. Pilots of the center began mastering the machine in 1992 at the Kamov company. In November 1993, Torzhok was the first to receive the V-80Sh1 (Ka-50, pre-series No. 01-02, tail No. 20). The time then was difficult not only in terms of monetary allowance, but also the lack of instructions for the pilot, and there was no two-seat training apparatus. "Mi-24DU" was not suitable for this. True, it was possible to adapt the coaxial Ka-29TB, but so far no one has mentioned the possibility of training pilots on it. As usual in such cases, the first in Torzhok in the spring of 1994 "V-80Sh1" was mastered by the head of the 344th PPI and PLS.

Then no one could have imagined that four years later (June 17) Yevgeny Alekseevich's life would end, moreover, in preparation for demonstration flights. An investigation into the tragedy showed that the cause was the whipping of the blades due to the pilot exceeding the established limits. The situation was aggravated by the fact that everything happened at low altitude, when he could not use the means of emergency rescue. Technique does not forgive either ordinary pilots or generals. The most important task facing the personnel of the 344th PPI and PLS was considered to be the conduct of military tests of the Ka-50, but firing at the training ground is one thing, and a real battle is much more difficult. Therefore, during the anti-terrorist operation in Chechnya, they decided to test the Black Shark in real combat conditions.

In December 2000, two Ka-50s (No. 24 and No. 25 of the installation series) and one Ka-29, additionally equipped with an artillery mount with a 2A42 gun and a covert communications complex (KSAS), arrived at the Severny airfield in the suburbs of Grozny. Their crews included pilots from the 334th PPI and PLS, who had combat experience, including in Afghanistan, and from the Design Bureau named after N.I. Kamov - A. Papay, a former test pilot at the Air Force Research Institute. The air group, headed by the honored military pilot, Hero of Russia, Colonel A. Rudykh, had the task of testing the reliability and effectiveness of new combat vehicles in combat conditions.

When the pilots began to fly around the combat areas, it became clear that covering the Ka-50 with Mi-24 helicopters was very problematic, since the crews had not been flown. And this burden fell on the shoulders of the pilots from Torzhok. Ka-50s flew, as a rule, in pairs under the cover of two Mi-24s for two months. The advantages of the Ka-50 became obvious almost from the very first days of hostilities. For example, pilots more than once had to drop sharply almost to the bottom of the gorges, where, according to intelligence, the enemy was located. But the Mi-24, accompanying the Ka-50, did not descend below 150-200 m and turned out to be too heavy for such maneuvers. For example, on the eve of 2001, a pair consisting of a Ka-50 (A. Egorov) and a Mi-24 (A. Rudykh) covering it, not far from the village of Komsomolskoye, delivered an unexpected and accurate blow to a weapons and ammunition depot hidden in narrow gorge. Having descended and pressed against the slopes of the gorge and at an impressive speed repeating all its natural curves, A. Egorov, piloting the Ka-50, missed the target at the first approach. Colonel Rudykh was more fortunate - with his peripheral vision he saw an inconspicuous shed, as well as a hitching post hidden by tall bushes. Approximately fifty meters from the building, the pilot discovered a characteristic landmark indicated by scouts. The target was found, but they did not manage to combine the mark of the sight with it. In a matter of seconds, a small koshara, flashing before my eyes, was left far behind. Then, having sharply gained altitude and turned around, the helicopter pilots again headed towards the target and destroyed the house with the first salvo ...

Later, in a report on the results of the combat use of the Ka-50 in Chechnya, they wrote:

"one. Helicopters "Ka-50" and "Ka-29" are capable of performing tasks of searching for and destroying specified targets in mountainous and flat terrain during the day in simple weather conditions with a cloud base of 250 m and a visibility of 2.5 km. But in terms of their equipment and piloting conditions, helicopters are capable of performing tasks even in adverse weather conditions.
2. All combat missions assigned to the BUG (combat strike group. - Author's note) were carried out without disruption and on time.
3. Equipment<...>"Ka-50" and "Ka-29" (satellite navigation system KABRIS, PrPNK "Rubicon", system of VCU, SLA) allows using helicopter weapons with sufficient accuracy and efficiency to solve combat missions related to the search and destruction of given targets with known coordinates.
4. Maneuverability<...>"Ka-50" and "Ka-29" allow you to effectively perform combat missions in conditions of limited airspace (difficult terrain of high mountains, narrow gorges, riverbeds). High power-to-weight ratio, as a feature of the coaxial scheme of helicopters, psychologically significantly relieves the pilot during piloting.
5. The technique of piloting a helicopter during the day in PMU (simple weather conditions. - Approx. Aut.) is much simpler than on single-rotor helicopters ... ".

Based on the results of the combat use of the helicopter, the command of the Air Force and Army Aviation approved a list of measures to eliminate the identified comments, and the Methodological Council of the Army Aviation Administration of the Ground Forces issued recommendations on expanding the group to three Ka-50s. At the same time, two vehicles should have been improved to the level of the vehicle that participated in the battles with the elimination of the detected defects. It was also necessary to refine the Ka-29VPNTSU helicopter-target designator, equipping it with a round-the-clock surveillance and sighting system "Samshit" and cockpit lighting equipment adapted for use by the crew of night vision goggles.

A ground simulator was also desirable. It was recommended to speed up work on the Ka-52, but not for training flights, but to replace the Ka-29VPNTSU and to develop ground-based target designation tools. However, due to lack of funding, this initiative practically remained on paper, and the Ka-52 turned out to be the most realistic project. Work on the Ka-50 actually stalled.

Attitudes towards the Ka-50 have changed dramatically since January 2002, when V.S. Mikhailov. However, not only to the Ka-50, but also to the An-70 aircraft, having loaded all cargo transportation in the Air Force on the Il-76. There is a lot of talk about this, and we will not know the truth soon. But this is not the most important thing, the main thing is that since 2002 the Ka-50 has fallen into disgrace. All this was felt in October 2004, when no funds were allegedly found to deliver the Ka-50 helicopter to the Kant air base in Kyrgyzstan to participate in the Rubezh-2004 exercises. At the same time, the participation of their aircraft in such events was very important for Kamov OJSC, especially when it came to demonstrating the advantages of the Ka-50 over the Mi-28N in mountainous conditions. Therefore, the Ka-50 (board No. 25) in disassembled form had to be delivered to the Kant air base on an Il-76MD aircraft at the expense of the helicopter developer. The demonstration of the equipment was supposed to take place at the high-altitude Edelweiss training ground near the city of Chol-pon-Ata. Test pilots of OKB A.S. flew in Kyrgyzstan. Papay and Yu.V. Timofeev. At the end of the "exercises" at the awarding ceremony for their participants, the President of Kyrgyzstan A.A. Akaev noted: "Black shark" in the blue sky of Issyk-Kul is deeply symbolic. It's just a great combination. This is the union of beauty and strength. It cannot be ruled out that due to this event, at the beginning of the next 2005, Russian Defense Minister S.B. Ivanov decided to resume serial production of the Ka-50 in Arsenyev and to speed up work on the Ka-52.

In October 2003, the head of the army aviation department, Lieutenant General A. Surtsukov, stated that “the helicopter (Ka-50. - Approx. Aut.) is designed in such a way that its maximum efficiency is manifested in attacks from a long distance and inflicting pinpoint strikes on enemy armored vehicles. Considering that a counter-terrorist operation is underway in Chechnya and the militants do not have armored vehicles, the use of the Ka-50 is inappropriate.”

True, three years after several flight accidents with single-rotor helicopters in the mountains, the Russian Ministry of Defense came to the conclusion that for use in difficult geographical conditions to combat small targets, a Ka-50 equipped with effective means reconnaissance, target designation and destruction. In 2006, the total flight time of the Ka-50 reached 5,000 hours, confirming the assigned resource of the main units. And the machines with excellent flight characteristics quickly won the favor of the pilots, but not for long.

Concluding the story about the helicopters created in accordance with the first Soviet competition, we can draw our own conclusions. However, a person, although he knows aviation technology, but has never flown a helicopter, especially a combat one, can make irreparable mistakes. Therefore, the author suppressed his emotions and decided to give the floor to specialists. The best thing about these machines was said in an interview with journalist Yuri Zaretsky, published in Krasnaya Zvezda, with direct participants in the creation, testing and combat use of the Mi-28 and Ka-50 Heroes of the Russian Federation, Honored Military Pilot of Russia, Colonel of the Reserve Alexei Novikov and deputy head of the combat training department, senior inspector-pilot of the Army Aviation Administration in the Air Force High Command, Colonel Alexander Rudykh. “The arguments against the Black Shark,” Rudykh noted, “can’t be called anything other than verbiage. They don't stand up to scrutiny. Opponents of the Ka-50 almost always rely on the statement that one pilot is not able to perform combat missions in an attack helicopter. After all, this requires piloting a car, communicating, searching, identifying and destroying targets. But, in my opinion, everything is not so and even exactly the opposite. If a pilot says that it is impossible to fight alone in a single-seat helicopter, then he has mastered only multi-seat machines, where the functions in the crew are very strongly divided. On them, sometimes even the place of the fourth turn is suggested to the pilot by the navigator. I express my personal point of view, I am ready to defend it at any level. A military pilot is able to perform combat missions on the Black Shark. "Ka-50" will master the pilot of average qualification.

Anyone who does not like single-seat is his right, but let's remember the achievements of previous generations. Where do we throw away the experience of attack pilots in the Great Patriotic War? They flew, fought and won! Until 1942, the attack aircraft was a single-seat machine, but then an onboard gunner was put on it to protect the rear hemisphere. The second crew member performed the functions of security and did not provide the pilot with any assistance in finding and destroying the target. Prove to me that a participant in the Great Patriotic War, an attack pilot, commander-in-chief of the Air Force - Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Air Marshal Alexander Nikolayevich Efimov, in fact, could not simultaneously fly, detect targets, destroy them and direct the actions of a group of attack aircraft . The heights of the combat use of attack aircraft are commensurate with ours ... The armament is practically the same: guns, unguided aircraft missiles. They had more developed bomb weapons, we have guided missiles. There are other differences in the capabilities of "IL-2" and "Ka-50". In the forties there were no modern navigation and sighting systems that would simplify the solution of problems by several orders of magnitude. Modern technology makes it possible to significantly expand and simplify the performance of a flight task by one person. Attack aircraft flew at speeds of about 400 km / h, and attack helicopters - about 300 km / h. It is quite clear: the greater the speed, the less time to search for a ground target. Add here the ability of the helicopter to reduce the flight speed to zero and the unique ability of the Ka-50 to use ambush tactics. You can evaluate the single-seat of the helicopter from a different position. The presence of dual control is one of the most important requirements for all combat training. The Ka-50 is a single-seat machine, there is nowhere to place an instructor on it, but there is a Ka-52, so we don’t see any problems in training on these helicopters.”

“General Designer Sergey Mikheev understood,” Novikov said, “that we insist on refining the machine to the specifics of our training system, and found an original design solution: he replaced the cockpit with a two-seat module, while expanding the capabilities of the new helicopter and making it all-weather, again with additional combat functions.

“There was a clash of opinions here. Test pilots from the GLITs (named after V.P. Chkalov. - Approx. Aut.) believed that on the Ka-52, based on its purpose, a simple navigator was enough on the right "cup", but our combat training department insisted on your version. At the very least, the opinion of military experts was listened to very carefully then, and having understood the true reasons for the demands, no one tried to impose their vision on us on how to train and fight. With the advent of the Ka-52, the problem of creating a combat training helicopter was immediately solved, and this is a big savings in funds for R&D, development, testing and mass production of a new training machine. Unfortunately, on the Mi-28N it was not possible to solve the problem of the second adequate control due to the ergonomic features of the front cockpit. This problem for the Mi-28N, which has specific features in piloting and even taxiing, is a serious obstacle in its future fate... The experience of the combat use of helicopters in local conflicts led to the conclusion that the main rotor is the most vulnerable part of the rotorcraft. The hit of a large-caliber bullet in the blade tore out a piece, the screw lost its bearing properties, and sometimes the car fell, burying the crew under the rubble.

When creating the Ka-50, the designers took this circumstance into account. The rotor blade of the "Black Shark" in the longitudinal section is divided into two segments. A projectile hitting a blade, as a rule, disables only one of them, while the entire blade retains its strength and load-bearing characteristics. The hit of small-caliber bullets for the "Ka-50" is not at all scary. In the process of state tests on the stands, a test cycle was carried out, which confirmed this experimentally. So statements about some problems on coaxial machines that occur when the rotors are damaged are, to put it mildly, scientifically unfounded. Any rotor, - Rudykh continued, - is a dynamically moving system with a flywheel deflection of the blades. You can always create conditions and inevitably drive it into a catastrophic situation. Any aircraft is created with restrictions.

The terrible scourge of a single-rotor helicopter is spontaneous left rotation. It occurs when there is not enough power on the tail rotor. If, during landing or takeoff, the wind blew stronger from the side or more vigorously than necessary, the pilot actuated the controls and the revolutions “sank”, an uncontrolled rotation of the rotorcraft occurs. This is why upwind landings are recommended for single-rotor helicopters. For this reason, many crews, paratroopers and passengers died, even in the same Chechen campaign. It was believed that a more powerful engine would solve the problem. As of today, this stage has already been passed. Stronger engines expand the conditions for the use of a helicopter, but the main problem, as they say, rests on the tail rotor. There are other features that are bad jokes, such as the flow of air masses in mountainous conditions. For specialists who say that the wind does not matter for helicopters in the mountains, I recommend that you carefully read the aviation documents again and repeat the aerodynamics. The wind restriction even on the plain still remains, as well as the features of the operation of single-rotor machines in mountainous conditions. Coaxial machines are spared most of these restrictions, since they have no problems with the destruction of the rudder and even the tail boom. The "Black Shark", which has no analogues in the world, has unique characteristics for mountain conditions.

We are also told about the far-fetched difficulties with piloting the Ka-50. They say that the "Black Shark" has a very sensitive pen. I had to fly a lot on this helicopter, but I did not notice this. "Ka-50", as we say, "sits tightly" on the control stick. Unless, of course, we mean the peculiarity of piloting a single-rotor machine, when the pilot needs to make double movements with the controls. On the Black Shark, there is no such need. No less absurd are statements about some kind of two-story Ka-50. Fly on Kamov's machines and make sure that they do not cause any discomfort, but you will discover a number of unique features and qualities. For a coaxial helicopter, it does not matter which side the wind blows during takeoff or approach. With a full combat load, the Black Shark hangs at an altitude of 4000 meters. How effectively combat missions are carried out on this machine, we convincingly showed in Chechnya ...

The most important highlight was the combat test of the equipment installed on the Ka-50. It allowed to transmit and receive all information over a closed channel. The lack of such an opportunity to transfer operational data between aircraft and command posts on the battlefield is a problem for aviation. Add to this that any enemy can listen to the radio traffic of all our helicopters due to the lack of active closed communication channels, and it becomes clear why we really needed the practice of combat use ...

The first combat use of the Ka-50 was carried out in a mountainous and wooded area in the area south of the village of Tsentoroy. No one was going to feel sorry for the "Black Sharks", in Chechnya we fought without any conventions. Every day, the combat strike group received a task from the combat control group of the OGV (s). Early in the morning, as a rule, we were “cut into” the reverse slopes of the mountains, on which artillery could not work, and we systematically “cleaned out” square by square ... The technique showed itself with better side. Most of all, I personally liked the digital map of the area installed on the Kamov machine. ; The pilot can switch in flight to any scale convenient and necessary for him; at the same time, a mark indicating the location of the helicopter is displayed on the monitor. Designations without the use of the GLONASS system with an accuracy of +50 meters allow you to perform a landing approach in difficult weather conditions.

Today, a myth is being created that since the Black Sharks did not fly in Chechnya without the escort of the Mi-24, they are worse than the Crocodile. Obviously, the “experts” do not know or have forgotten the simple law of war: the wingman is the first to shoot down. The price is worthless to us if we allowed the combat loss of the Ka-50. In this regard, I remember an interesting episode. The crews from combat units did not know the capabilities of the Ka-50, as well as the peculiarities of piloting coaxial vehicles, and therefore, after the first sortie, they gave an accurate assessment, although emotional, but accurate: “This is not a flight, but some kind of fantasy. It is not clear who is covering whom. After that, R. Sakhabutdinov (head of aviation of the OGV (s) in Chechnya) announced the impossibility of fulfilling the task of covering him with crews. That is why the "Crocodiles" that accompanied the "Black Sharks" were piloted by the pilots of the combat strike group. To evaluate the actions of the "Ka-50" in the interests scientific work I had to take a job in the Mi-24. In short, in Chechnya the group was an independent combat research unit.

When I reported to Colonel General V. Baranov (commander of the aviation group in Chechnya) the received order to return to the base, he called R. Sakhabutdinov and asked:
- Will you be able to continue this work and "cleanse the spirits" in the same way as the Kamov machines?
- Not. "Mi-24" can not solve such problems.
- So why are they leaving? Why don't you ask them to leave?
General Baranov did not receive an intelligible answer, especially since we were already detained in the combat zone for an additional month at the request of the command of the OGV(s). BUG returned home, having completed all the tasks assigned to her.

During the trip, not only the strengths, but also the weaknesses of the Ka-50 were revealed. Most of the comments made on the technique were eliminated by the Kamov firm immediately after returning to Torzhok. As a result, a helicopter was obtained that does not need modernization for many years. And research in the pulp and paper industry and PLS continues, we are making developments for the future. At present, the practical interaction of the Su-25 and Ka-50 has been worked out. The attack helicopter performs laser illumination of the target, at which the attack aircraft launches a guided missile from the maximum range.
“Let me add,” Novikov said, “any test is necessary to confirm the merits of the machine, but the most important thing is to identify the shortcomings in new developments. They must be eliminated as soon as possible, to make the equipment as safe as possible for those who will operate it in combat units. Adapt for combat. All over the world, weapons and military equipment go through this, it is simply impossible in a different way. For example, one of the main problems in the use of combat aviation is control on the battlefield. It has been standing since the dawn of aviation. The pilot can independently go to the target area, but finding it is the main difficulty. Even the multi-terrain aircraft will not help here. In combat conditions, the target is masked, and the enemy's air defense systems are not asleep. Great Patriotic War, Afghanistan, Chechnya and other hot spots have convincingly proved this. The third or fourth approach to the target accounts for the main percentage of aviation losses. The solution to this problem was found and for the first time in Russia it was implemented on Kamov machines.

The serial production of the Ka-50 was stopped in 2008, when the last car left Assembly shop plant, and the remaining backlog was used in the construction of the Ka-52.

Modifications of the Ka-50

serial modification.

Ka-50 converted to night modification. It differs from the standard one by the Samshit-50T thermal imaging sighting system mounted in the ventral nose.

Night modification of the Ka-50 for round-the-clock combat missions. Created on the basis of government decree No. 1420-355 of 1987. She made her first flight on March 4, 1997. It differs from the standard modification by a re-arranged nose section, in which, along with the daytime one, there is also a night thermal imaging channel of the Rubikon-N sighting-flight-navigation complex. The radar is located in the over-hull fairing. Satellite navigation equipment was added and some components of electronic and optical equipment were replaced. Re-arranged and added instruments and devices in the cockpit.

Ka-50-2 "Erdogan"- A modified version of the Ka-50 with a tandem crew arrangement, modified weapons and electronics. Created to participate in the tender announced by Turkey in 1997. Israeli specialists took part in the development of electronics.

Ka-52 "Alligator"- Modified double night version of the Ka-50.

The performance characteristics of the Ka-50 Black Shark

First flight: June 17, 1982
- Start of operation: August 28, 1995
- Years of production: 1981-2009
- Units produced: 17

Dimensions Ka-50 Black Shark

Fuselage length: 14.21 m
- Height: 4.93 m
- Rotor diameter: 14.50 m
- Length with rotation screws: 15.96 m
- Wingspan: 7.44 m

Weight Ka-50 Black Shark

Empty weight: 7700 kg
- Normal takeoff weight: 9800 kg
- Maximum takeoff weight: 10800 kg
- Payload weight: 2800 kg
- Mass of fuel: internal stock 1487 kg, in PTB 1732 kg

Engine Ka-50 Black Shark

2 x turboshaft TV3-117VMA
- Power: in emergency mode 2700 hp, in takeoff mode 2400 hp, in cruise mode 1750 hp

Speed ​​Ka-50 Black Shark

Cruising: 265 km/h
- maximum: 310 km/h
- maximum allowable in a gentle dive: 390 km / h
- maximum-achieved in a dive (test): 460 km / h

Flight range Ka-50 Black Shark

Without PTB: 520 km
- with PTB: 1160 km
- Permissible bank angle: ±70°
- Permissible pitch angle: ±60°
- Maximum operational overload: 3 G

Armament Ka-50 Black Shark

Built-in rifle and cannon: 1 x 30-mm 2A42, 460 rounds of ammunition (selective ammunition supply, variable rate of fire)
- Suspension points: 4
- suspension weight: 2000 kg
- Suspended small arms and cannon: 2 × 23-mm guns UPK-23-250 in hanging containers, ammunition 2 × 500 rounds

Unguided missile:
- NAR S-13 - 2 × 5 pcs.
- NAR S-8 - 4 × 20 pcs.
- heavy NURS S-24

Guided missile:
- ATGM "Whirlwind" - 2 × 6 pcs.
- Kh-25ML
- "Air-to-air": Needle-B - 2 × 2 pcs. (placed not on pylons), R-73

Bomb:
- FAB-500, -250, -120, -100
- KMGU-2
- ZB-500
- RBC-500, -250

Photo Ka-50 Black Shark

Helicopters of Russia and the world (video, photo, pictures watch online) occupy an important place in the overall system of the national economy and the Armed Forces, honorably fulfilling the civil and military tasks assigned to them. According to the figurative expression of the outstanding Soviet scientist and designer ML. Mile, “our country itself is, as it were, “designed” for helicopters.” Without them, the development of the boundless and impassable spaces of the Far North, Siberia and the Far East is unthinkable. Helicopters have become a familiar element of the landscape of our grandiose construction projects. They are widely used as a vehicle, in agriculture, construction, rescue service, military affairs. When performing a number of operations, helicopters are simply irreplaceable. Who knows how many people's health was saved by the helicopter crews who took part in the aftermath of the accident on Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The lives of thousands of Soviet soldiers were saved by combat "turntables" in Afghanistan.

Before becoming one of the main modern transport, technological and combat vehicles, Russian helicopters have come a long and not always smooth path of development. The idea of ​​lifting into the air with the help of a main rotor originated among mankind almost earlier than the idea of ​​flying on a fixed wing. In the early stages of the history of aviation and aeronautics, the creation of lift by "screwing into the air" was more popular than other methods. This explains the abundance of rotary-wing aircraft projects in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Only four years separate the flight of the Wright brothers' plane (1903) from the first lift of a man into the air by helicopter (1907).

The best helicopters were used by scientists and inventors, they hesitated for a long time which method to prefer. However, by the end of the first decade of the XX century. less energy-intensive and simpler in terms of aerodynamics, dynamics and strength, the aircraft took the lead. His successes were impressive. Almost 30 years passed before the creators of helicopters finally managed to make their devices workable. Already during the Second World War, helicopters went into mass production and began to be used. After the end of the war, the so-called "helicopter boom" arose. Numerous firms began to build samples of new promising technology, but not all attempts were successful.

Combat helicopters of Russia and the United States It was still more difficult to build than an aircraft of a similar class. Military and civilian customers were in no hurry to put a new type of aviation equipment on a par with the already familiar aircraft. Only the effective use of helicopters by Americans in the early 50s. in the war in Korea convinced a number of military leaders, including Soviet ones, of the advisability of using this aircraft by the armed forces. However, many, as before, continued to consider the helicopter "a temporary delusion of aviation." It took another ten years until helicopters finally proved their exclusivity and indispensability in performing a number of military tasks.

Russian helicopters have played a big role in the creation and development of Russian and Soviet scientists, designers and inventors. Their significance is so great that it even gave rise to one of the founders of the domestic helicopter industry, Academician B.N. Yuriev to consider our state as the "birthplace of helicopters." This statement, of course, is too categorical, but our helicopter pilots have something to be proud of. These are the scientific works of the school of N.E. Zhukovsky in the pre-revolutionary period and the impressive flights of the TsAGI 1-EA helicopter in the pre-war years, the records of the post-war Mi-4, Mi-6, Mi-12, Mi-24 helicopters and the unique Ka family of coaxial helicopters, modern Mi-26 and Ka -32 and much, much more.

The new Russian helicopter is relatively well covered in books and articles. Shortly before his death, B.N. Yuryev began to write the fundamental work "The History of Helicopters", but managed to prepare only the chapters relating to his own work in 1908 - 1914. It should be noted that insufficient attention to the history of such an aviation industry as helicopter construction is also characteristic of foreign researchers.

Military helicopters of Russia in a new way illuminating the history of the development of helicopters and their theories in pre-revolutionary Russia, the contribution of domestic scientists and inventors to the global process of development of this type of equipment. A review of pre-revolutionary domestic works on rotary-wing aircraft, including previously unknown ones, as well as their analysis were given in the corresponding chapter in the book "Aviation in Russia", prepared for publication in 1988 by TsAGI. However, its small size significantly limited the size of the information provided.

Civil helicopters in their best colors. An attempt has been made to cover the activities of domestic helicopter industry enthusiasts as fully and comprehensively as possible. Therefore, the activities of leading domestic scientists and designers are described, as well as projects and proposals are considered, the authors of which were significantly inferior to them in their knowledge, but whose contribution could not be ignored. Moreover, in some projects, which generally differed in a relatively low level of development, there are also interesting proposals and ideas.

The name of the helicopters denoted significant qualitative changes in this type of equipment. Such events are the beginning of a continuous and systematic development of helicopter projects; construction of the first full-scale helicopters capable of taking off the ground, and the beginning of mass production and practical application helicopters. This book covers the early history of helicopter engineering, from the concept of propeller lift into the air to the creation of the first helicopters capable of taking off from the ground. A helicopter, unlike an airplane, a flywheel and a rocket, does not have direct prototypes in nature. However, the screw that creates the lifting force of the helicopter has been known since ancient times.

Small Helicopters Despite the fact that propellers were known and there were empirical prototypes of helicopters, the idea of ​​using a main rotor to lift into the air did not become widespread until the end of the 18th century. All the rotorcraft projects being developed at that time remained unknown and were found in the archives many centuries later. As a rule, information about the development of such projects has been preserved in the archives of the most prominent scientists of their time, such as Guo Hong, L. da Vinci, R. Hooke, M.V. Lomonosov, who in 1754 created an "airfield machine".

Private helicopters in a short time were created literally dozens of new designs. It was a competition of the most diverse schemes and forms, as a rule, one- or two-seat apparatus, which had mainly an experimental purpose. The military departments were a natural customer for this expensive and complex equipment. The first helicopters different countries received the appointment of liaison and intelligence military apparatus. In the development of helicopters, as in many other areas of technology, two lines of development can be clearly distinguished - but the dimensions of the machines, that is, the quantitative one, and the line of development of the qualitative improvement of aircraft within a certain size or weight category that almost simultaneously arose.

Site about helicopters which contains the most complete description. Whether the helicopter is used for geological exploration, agricultural work or for the transportation of passengers - the cost of an hour of operation of the helicopter plays a decisive role. A large share of it is depreciation, that is, the price divided by its service life. The latter is determined by the resource of the aggregates, r, e. by their service life. The problem of increasing the fatigue strength of blades, shafts and transmissions, main rotor bushings and other helicopter units has become a paramount task that still occupies helicopter designers. Nowadays, a resource of 1000 hours is no longer a rarity for a serial helicopter, and there is no reason to doubt its further increase.

Modern helicopters comparing the combat capabilities of the original video has been preserved. The image found in some publications is an approximate reconstruction, and not entirely indisputable, carried out in 1947 by N.I. Kamov. However, a number of conclusions can be drawn on the basis of the archival documents cited. Judging by the test method (suspension on blocks), the "airfield machine" was undoubtedly a vertical take-off and landing apparatus. Of the two methods of vertical lift known at that time - with the help of flapping wings or by means of a main rotor - the first seems unlikely. The protocol says that the wings moved horizontally. In most flyers, they are known to move in a vertical plane. A flywheel whose wings oscillate in a horizontal plane with an installation angle that changes cyclically, despite repeated attempts, has not yet been built.

The best helicopter design is always directed to the future. However, in order to more clearly imagine the possibilities for further development of helicopters, it is useful to try to understand the main directions of their development from past experience. What is interesting here, of course, is not the prehistory of the helicopter industry, which we will only briefly mention, but its history from the moment when the helicopter, as a new type of aircraft, was already suitable for practical use. The first mention of an apparatus with a vertical propeller - a helicopter, is contained in the notes of Leonardo da Vinci dating back to 1483. The first stage of development stretches from the model of a helicopter created by M. V. Lomonosov in 1754, through a long series of projects, models, and even devices built in nature , which were not destined to take to the air, until the construction of the world's first helicopter, which in 1907 managed to get off the ground.

We recognize the fastest helicopter in the outlines of this machine circuit diagram the most common single-rotor helicopters in the world today. B. I. Yuryev managed to return to this work only in 1925. In 1932, a group of engineers, headed by A. M. Cheremukhitsnch, built a TsAGI 1-EA helicopter, which reached a flight altitude of 600 m and lasted 18 m / w in the air which was an outstanding achievement for that time. Suffice it to say that the official flight altitude record, set 3 years later on the new Breguet coaxial helicopter, was only 180 m. At this time, there was a pause in the development of helicopters (helicopters). A new branch of rotorcraft, gyroplanes, came to the fore.

The new Russian helicopter, with a greater load on the wing area, came face to face with the then new spin problem of loss of speed. It turned out to be easier to create a safe and sufficiently perfect autogyro than to build a helicopter helicopter. The main rotor, freely rotating from the oncoming flow, eliminated the need for complex gearboxes and transmissions. The articulated attachment of the main rotor blades to the hub used on gyroplanes provided them with much greater strength, and stability for the gyroplane. Finally, stopping the engine was no longer dangerous, as was the case with the first helicopters: by autorotating the gyroplane, it was easy to land at low speed.

Large helicopters for landing marines from ships determined the further development of the military helicopter industry as a transport and landing. The landing by S-55 helicopters of the American troops at Inchon during the Korean War (1951) confirmed this trend. The size range of transport and landing helicopters began to be determined by the dimensions and weight of ground Vehicle, which are used by the troops and which had to be airlifted. The fact is ""for conventional weapons, mainly artillery, transported by tractors, in weight close to the weight of the tractors themselves. Therefore, the carrying capacity of the first transport helicopters in foreign armies was 1200-1600 kg (the weight of a light military vehicle used as a tractor and related guns).

USSR helicopters correspond to the weight of light and medium tanks or corresponding self-propelled chassis. Whether this line of development will be completed in such a range of dimensions depends on the ever-changing military doctrine. Artillery systems are mostly being replaced by rockets, which is why we find demands from the foreign press as well. Power did not lead to an increase in payload. Indeed, but to the technical level of that time, the weight of propellers, gearboxes for the entire apparatus as a whole increased with an increase in power faster than the lifting force increased. However, when creating a new useful and even more so new for national economic application, the designer cannot put up with a decrease in the achieved level of weight return.

Soviet helicopters, the first samples, in a relatively short time were created because the specific gravity of piston engines always decreased with increasing power. But in 1953, after the creation of the 13-ton Sikorsky S-56 helicopter with two 2300-hp piston engines. with the size range of helicopters in the Zapal was interrupted and only in the USSR, using turboprop engines. In the mid-fifties, the reliability of helicopters became much higher, therefore, the possibilities of their use in the national economy also expanded. Economic issues came to the fore.

In the last issue of RG-Nedelya, the RG correspondent tried to answer the question: why were modern aviation and high-precision weapons not used in South Ossetia?

The material aroused great reader interest, the phone does not stop until now. Many, in particular, ask where were the latest combat helicopters - the famous "Black Sharks"?

Apache Winner

Almost a quarter of a century ago, a competition was held in the USSR for a new combat helicopter, which was supposed to replace the Mi-24. The winner could be a car that not only surpassed its domestic competitor, but also the American Apache. Our army had to get really the best attack helicopter in the world.

Mi-28 and Ka-50 participated in the competition. Almost all positions were won by the Ka-50, which was the first among aircraft to receive its own name - "Black Shark". A single-seat combat helicopter, equipped with the most modern avionics and a complex of high-precision weapons, actually surpassed all world analogues in terms of basic characteristics. However, his real triumph did not take place because the summing up coincided with the collapse of the USSR.

The "Black Shark" was nevertheless adopted by the Russian army in 1995. However, this decision turned out to be only on paper - there was no money for the mass purchase of formidable vehicles in the military budget. But the first anti-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus had already begun, and a new helicopter was simply needed there. Meanwhile, in the late 90s, the K-52 helicopter appeared. This two-seat vehicle, capable of conducting aerial reconnaissance, independent combat and at the same time control an air group, was called the "Alligator".

On duty, I am well acquainted with helicopter technology, including the capabilities of the Ka-50, Ka-52 and Mi-28, - says GRU Colonel Alexander Musienko, who fought in Afghanistan and Chechnya. - It so happened that since the time of the Afghan war, our army has been fighting in the mountains all the time. And there is no better helicopter to support troops, including special forces, operating in the highlands than the Ka-50 and Ka-52. Thanks to the coaxial design, they are very maneuverable, have an excellent rate of climb, can hover at any height and are equipped with the most modern avionics and precision weapons systems. If we had the support of the "Black Sharks" in Chechnya, the losses of our troops would have been reduced significantly, and the fight against illegal armed groups hiding in mountain forests would have been much more effective...

Now the situation seems to be repeating itself. After all, if a group of four attacking Ka-50s and one command and reconnaissance Ka-52 worked in South Ossetia, and even in close contact with special forces reconnaissance groups, the situation on the ground would be completely different.

Boogie Woogie Air Force

Indeed, neither "Black Sharks" nor "Alligators" were observed in South Ossetia. This is all the more incomprehensible, given that the Ka-50s have passed the test of war, showing their best side. In 2001, in conditions of increased secrecy, an experimental helicopter combat strike group (BUG) was formed. It consisted of two Ka-50s, air point surveillance and target designation of Ka-29VPNTs and Mi-24 cover helicopters. For the first time, army aviation pilots managed not only to test the new machine in combat conditions, but also to implement a fundamentally new tactic for using attack helicopters.

How did the combat strike group work? The Ka-29VPNTs air command post flew at high altitude and received data from ground, air and space reconnaissance. At the same time, a closed telecode connection was maintained with the "sharks" loitering in the waiting area. On the screens of the on-board displays of the Ka-50, all information about their location, terrain and coordinates of the target that needed to be destroyed was displayed. Ka-50s were equipped with the Abris domestic navigation system, which allows flying on a digital map of the area at any time of the day. Helicopters were guided to the target with an accuracy of several meters. They delivered a lightning strike and immediately left the possible zone of destruction by air defense systems. In fact, it was shown how helicopters should fight in the new century.

The performance and flight characteristics of the Black Shark are beyond praise. The machine is so perfectly balanced and has such a fire control system that even unguided weapons become highly accurate, - says Air Force Colonel Alexander Rudykh, Hero of Russia, former boss department of combat training of army aviation, participant in the tests of the Ka-50 in combat conditions. - For example, an unguided rocket projectile (NURS) should be launched at a distance of no more than 2.5 kilometers - otherwise the salvo will go into "milk". We fired with Ka-50 NURSs for 3.8 kilometers and hit the mark. And they fired from a cannon almost four kilometers into the "top ten". In Chechnya, we used Vikhr guided missiles. From a range of 2.2 kilometers, I personally hit this rocket in the window opening of a camouflaged militant stronghold. The climb rate in the mountains of the Ka-50 turned out to be simply fantastic - 30 meters per second. As far as I know, no helicopter in the world has such a vertical speed. And work as part of a combat experimental group of attack helicopters is generally a separate conversation ...

BUG remained one of the secrets of the second Chechen campaign. However, soon after testing the Ka-50 in combat conditions, not only the experimental strike group was disbanded, but also the army aviation command (which included helicopter pilots), subordinating it to the Air Force and Air Defense Main Headquarters. The generals of the Air Force did not delve into the new tactics of using helicopters, they did not let the Ka-50 into the warring army, but they suddenly fell in love with the seemingly long-forgotten Mi-28 project.

Silent ban

In order to somehow justify the fact that the army did not have the best combat helicopter in the world, the Ka-50 was found to have "significant" shortcomings. From the point of view of the usually anonymous aviation experts, there are several.

Firstly, as stated, the helicopter pilots are accustomed to the Mi-24 and do not want to switch to combat Ka.

This is not so, since those pilots who had the opportunity to fly "crocodiles" and "sharks" unequivocally speak out in favor of the Ka-50.

Secondly, it is much more difficult for one Ka-50 pilot to control a machine in combat than for a two-man crew on the Mi-28.

If modern warfare is approached with the same criteria as half a century ago, then this is so. But the future belongs to unmanned aerial vehicles, and today it is not a single sample that is fighting, but a system. A single-seat "shark" with the highest degree of control automation is the first step towards an unmanned combat helicopter. And how to fight systematically - the experience of the BUG clearly showed back in 2001.

Thirdly, opponents of the "sharks" argue that the coaxial scheme is fraught with collision of screws.

There is such a danger, but it occurs at such overloads, in which a helicopter with a main rotor cuts off its tail boom. It's just not worth going beyond the critical flight mode when the "Ka" and "Mi" disaster is inevitable.

Invisible "hunter"

The Mi-28 is now in favor with customers from the Air Force. The letter “H” was added to the old-new helicopter, which means “night”. For persuasiveness, they called it "Night Hunter". Without compulsory competition, in violation of existing legislation, by order in 2005 adopted. Funds were allocated for the organization of mass production and mass purchases of these helicopters. But the only copy of the Mi-28N at that time did not even pass the necessary state tests. And there were no guarantees that the vehicles adopted for service would be able to fly and fight at all, especially at night.

It is possible that during the testing process, the Night Hunter really got such design flaws that it will take years and additional billions of dollars infusions from the military budget to eliminate them. Otherwise, it is simply impossible to explain why the Mi-28N, which was put into service several years ago, never appeared in the Armed Forces. Where is this horror flying on the wings of the night, and why was it not in the sky of South Ossetia when Georgian artillery smashed peaceful Tskhinval?

And how are they?

At the very beginning of this century, a sensation happened in the world helicopter industry. The Sikorsky firm announced that it was starting to design helicopters with a coaxial scheme - the same one that had always been the trump card of the Kamov firm, albeit with a pusher propeller. Americans having spent a large volume research work concluded that a single rotor helicopter cannot fly faster than 350 km/h. But the coaxial scheme with rigid propellers and a pusher engine allows you to reach speeds of up to 500 km / h.

According to the designers of Sikorsky, the first sample of their coaxial machine will take to the air before the end of this year, and mass production will begin no later than 2012.

However, at the MAKS-2007 air show, the Kamov company showed its answer to the Americans - the Ka-92 helicopter, which is capable of making a real revolution in transport aviation. We can and must be the first. If again their own do not interfere.