Strike capabilities: how the modified Ka-52KM will strengthen the new helicopter carriers of the Russian Navy

By the time the first Russian helicopter carriers of Project 23900 are delivered, the upgraded Ka-52KM shipborne helicopters will be created in the Russian Federation.

Andrey Boginsky, CEO of the Russian Helicopters holding, said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

“Considering that two new helicopter carriers have been laid down in our country, by the time they are delivered, helicopters should already be ready for deployment on these ships.

Based on this, we believe that the new shipborne helicopter should appear earlier than the scheduled delivery of helicopter carriers in 2025-2026, ”Boginsky emphasized.

The general director of Russian Helicopters noted that the design of the land-based Ka-52 Alligator and its ship-based version of the Ka-52K Katran coincide with the exception of a special modification, which consists in folding propeller blades.

“The land version went further in development.

In our understanding, it would be correct if the appearance of the new marine vehicle also coincided with it.

There is no design work for the modernized Ka-52KM yet, but the Defense Ministry has an understanding that it needs to be opened, ”the agency's source said.

Ship version

The Ka-52KM helicopter will be an upgraded version of the Ka-52K Katran, a naval version of the Alligator attack helicopter.

For the first time, the head of Rosoboronexport Anatoly Isaikin, speaking at the French air show in Le Bourget in June 2011, announced the need to create a ship version of the Ka-52.

Then he noted that new naval helicopters will be needed to be placed on the Mistral ships, which Russia then ordered from France.

The prototype Ka-52K "Katran" made its first flight in March 2015.

In 2017, Ka-52K helicopters successfully passed sea trials.

• Navy of the USSR. Anti-submarine cruiser "Moskva". Takeoff and landing site.

• © Mikhail Kukhtarev / RIA Novosti

The takeoff weight of the Ka-52K is 12.2 tons, the maximum payload weight is 2 tons, the hull length is 13.9 m, the width (including the wings) is 6.3 m, the cruising speed is 250 km / h, the flight height is up to 5.2 km.

The Katran's arsenal includes a 2A42-1 cannon, S-8 unguided aircraft missiles, 9M120-1 Attack and 9A-4172K Vikhr-1 anti-tank guided missiles, Igla-S anti-aircraft homing missiles.

The Ka-52K helicopter is designed for patrolling, fire support for landing troops when landing ashore, and solving antiamphibious defense tasks at the front line and tactical depth.

The main difference between this ship-based helicopter and the land-based version is the presence of a folding mechanism for the blades and a shortened folding wing.

These changes in the design make it possible to reduce the dimensions of the vehicle and more compactly place the helicopter on the deck or in the hold of the ship.

In addition, marine helicopters are equipped with a reinforced landing gear for landing in rolling conditions, and the components and assemblies of the machine are treated with a special anti-corrosion coating to protect them from salt fog and humid sea air.

The crew is housed in an armored cockpit equipped with an ejection system.

In addition, a ship-based Ka-52 helicopter is equipped with a rescue device kit (KSU), which makes it possible to provide assistance to those in distress at sea.

In an interview with RT, military expert Yuri Knutov noted that the design of the Ka-52 platform helicopters using two screws on one bearing axis allows obtaining the required thrust force with a relatively small diameter of the bearing blades.

This expands the possibilities of using the helicopter, the expert added.  

“The coaxial design of the Ka-52 increases the maneuverability of the helicopter and makes it possible to use these vehicles for various tasks, both for searching for submarines and for rescue operations.

Now the function of these helicopters is expanding, since they will have new, more modern missile weapons, improved engines, as well as means of searching for submarines, ”explained Yuri Knutov. 

• Anti-submarine cruiser-helicopter carrier "Moskva".

• © Mikhail Kukhtarev / RIA Novosti

As military expert Alexei Leonkov recalled in an interview with RT, such attack helicopters as the Ka-52K make a significant contribution to the fire support of the landing force during the landing operations.

“The main purpose of the universal amphibious assault ships, which began to be assembled in Kerch this year, is the landing and fire support of the assault force by combat helicopters.

About 16 units of aviation equipment will be placed on board the universal landing craft, most of which will be Ka-52KM helicopters, ”the expert noted.

According to Alexei Leonkov, the helicopters made specifically for the new universal amphibious assault ships will increase the combat power of the naval formation during a coastal operation by several orders of magnitude.

Landing strike

Recall that on July 20, 2020, at the Zaliv plant in Kerch, two Project 23900 universal amphibious assault helicopter-carrying ships - Ivan Rogov and Mitrofan Moskalenko - were laid down.

Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the laying ceremony.

Communicating with the workers of the Kerch plant, Vladimir Putin noted that based on the results of the use of the first ships of the 23900 project, a decision will be made on a test program and additional design work for ships of this type.

• Reconnaissance and attack helicopter Ka-52K "Katran"

• © Vitaly Kuzmin

The Project 23900 landing helicopter carriers will be the first ships of this type in the history of Russia.

In the USSR, the helicopter carriers "Moscow" and "Leningrad" were in service, but they belonged to the class of anti-submarine cruisers.

In January 2020, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, announced that the displacement of the new Russian amphibious assault helicopter carriers would be more than 20 thousand tons.

At the same time, they will have better seaworthiness, operational and design characteristics than the Mistral landing helicopter carriers, which Russia was supposed to receive from France and which were supposed to be equipped with Ka-52K Katran helicopters.

In 2015, the French authorities at the final stage of implementation canceled the contract for the construction and supply of two Mistrals of Russia.

The contract in the amount of € 1.2 billion was signed between the French DCNS / STX and Rosoboronexport in January 2011.

Both ships - "Vladivostok" and "Sevastopol" - were launched, and in November 2014 the first helicopter carrier was to be handed over to the Russian side.

However, François Hollande, then the country's president, decided to suspend the contract, linking it with the events in Ukraine.

In mid-2015, the agreement was terminated at the initiative of Paris.

Later, France agreed to transfer the Mistrals to Egypt.

After the proceedings, the Russian side was paid compensation in the amount of about € 950 million.

Military expert, retired colonel Viktor Litovkin noted that the new Russian helicopter carriers of Project 23900, equipped with modernized Ka-52KM helicopters and radio detection and electronic warfare systems, will be able to cope with a large volume of operational tasks.

“These helicopter carriers are being built for the oceanic zone, respectively, their range will exceed 1000 km.

The helicopters, which will be located on these ships, will operate in the operational zone of the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Indian or Pacific Ocean, depending on which naval formation these helicopter carriers will be assigned to, what tasks will be set by the Navy leadership.

Undoubtedly, new ships with such helicopters will expand the capabilities of the Russian Navy, ”the expert emphasized.