Designation: Kamov Ka-50 Chernaya Akula (Black Shark) (Hokum)
Classification Type: Attack Helicopter
Contractor: Kamov - Soviet Union
Country of Origin: Soviet Union
Initial Year of Service: 1995
Number Built: 32
The Kamov Ka-50 Chernaya Akula (or "Black Shark" and Codenamed "Hokum" by
NATO) series of attack helicopter was developed in the latter years of the
Cold War and did not enter operational service with Russian military forces
until 1995. It features many interesting and unique design elements for a
weapon of this classification and - at least on paper - would seem to give
all other modern attack helicopters and ground armor units a challenge
thanks to the inherent capabilities in the design. The Ka-50 was designed to
go head-to-head against the Mil Mi-28 in competition trials as the next
primary Soviet Army attack helicopter.
From a design standpoint, the Ka-50 is of a conventional design. The cockpit
is held forward in the fuselage with the engines just aft of the pilot and
to either side of the fuselage. Wings are fitted just under the engines and
sport four hardpoints for a variety of ordnance. Wingtip bulges also field
the aircraft's defensive anti-missile suite in the form of chaff and flare
dispensers. Armor is such that all major components, systems and the pilot
are protected from weapons calibers of up to 20mm to 23mm. IR-suppressed
exhausts and self-sealing fuel tanks assist the Black Shark in surviving the
modern battlefield at low altitude. Engines are also kept high and in on the
Black Shark design, helping to keep the aircrafts critical power system as
far away from enemy ground fire as possible. The undercarriage - consisting
of a tricycle wheeled landing gear system - is fully retractable.
The most distinct feature of the Kamov Ka-50 is a Kamov-brand identifier -
the twin counter-rotating co-axial main rotors. In this type of design
layout, the Ka-50 does not need the balancing power of a tail rotor unit or
connecting internal systems as the counter-rotating main rotors balance one
another out, providing a stable and responsive platform. It is a much noted
fact that the loss of a tail rotor assembly to any modern helicopter spells
certain doom for the system and crew alike. The Ka-50 makes use its main
rotor assemblies to negate the possibility that the Black Shark can be lost
through a direct hit on its tail section. As a result, combat survivability
is greatly increased. In addition to combat factors, the deletion of the
tail rotor assembly has increased the overall top speed of the Ka-50, making
it one of the fastest - if not the fastest - attack helicopters in service.
With power derived from the twin Klimov TV3-117VK turboshaft engines of
2,226 horsepower, none of this output needs to be diverted to a tail rotor
and can be concentrated on the centrally located twin main rotors instead.
Another noticeable design element present in the Ka-50 is the use of a
single pilot to command all of the available systems of the Black Shark.
Though most contemporary attack helicopters utilize a dedicated pilot and
gunner to split the tasks of the machine, the Ka-50 relies on the pilot an a
full suite of automated systems to keep the bird afloat. With attention
given to this unique facet of the Black Shark's design, it remains to be
seen whether the arrangement is actually a viable one considering the amount
of instruments and systems the pilot must monitor and react to on any given
sortie. In any case, the limit to a single crewmember means the design saves
on weight to be used on more vital facets of the Ka-50 including armor and
weapons.
Battlefield survivability of the Ka-50 is given another major boost in the
way of an ejection system in the K-37 ejection seat. Though quite uncommon
in attack helicopters of today, the Black Shark features a complicated but
life-saving process that can potentially have the pilot fighting another
day. The system ejection process begins by having the twin main rotors
ejected via controlled explosives followed by the ejection of the pilot a
short moment later. This in itself sets the Black Shark apart from any other
machine in this category and adds another thoughtful element to the design.
As with any attack helicopter, armament is the true heart of the design.
Available munitions include the latest in Russian anti-tank air-to-surface
missiles and anti-aircraft air-to-air missiles mounted on four external
hardpoints on port and starboard wingstubs. The main weapon of the Ka-50 in
the anti-tank hunting role is the tube-launched At-16 Vikhr-M laser-guided
air-to-surface anti-tank missile system. Additionally, the Ka-50 is slated
to carry traditional gunship weaponry including munition-dispensing rocket
pods featuring various warhead types. The Black Shark can also carry
external fuel pods for increased range, gun pods and drop bombs as required.
The base armament of the Ka-50 series is a single 30mm Shipunov 2A42 cannon.
Though traditional attack helicopters might field such a system in a
stand-alone fully-traversable gun mounting under the fuselage chin - most
likely tied to the pilots helmet - the Black Shark fits the cannon into the
starboard side of the fuselage just behind the cockpit. This offers up a
certain degree of benefit in that the weapon system is placed closer to the
helicopters center of gravity. This chosen layout produces less recoil and
makes for a more accurate weapons delivery. An obvious drawback to the
layout is that the entire helicopter must then be turned towards the
direction of the target though some level of limited traversing is reported
for the cannon.
After evaluation, the Ka-50 was selected ahead of the Mil Mi-28 design for
many of the reasons mentioned above. The system combined a great amount of
armor, survivability, firepower and performance when compared to its
competitors and was destined to become a major player in the Cold War world.
With the fall of the Soviet Empire, the future of the Ka-50 was put into
jeopardy until a resurgence in military funding kicked the Ka-50 production
lines back into full service. Though only some 30 or so total examples were
known to have been produced, it is understood that the Ka-50 will still make
up the backbone of the Russian attack helicopter arm in the foreseeable
future.
The Ka-50 has appeared in only a few variants and mostly developmental types
that tried to shore up limitations in the original design. The V-80
represented the originals prototype designation and was followed by two
V-80Sh-1 "Shturmovik-1" pre-production models. A night capable Ka-50
appeared in the form of the Ka-50N and Ka-50Sh types. The Ka-50-2 was to be
an export product while the Ka-50-2 "Erdogan" was in competition for Turkish
sale and represented a joint Kamov/Israeli attempt featuring a twin-tandem
cockpit. The Ka-52 "Alligator" was a revised Ka-50 design with twin-seating
in a side-by-side format and was an all-weather, day / night capable attack
system.
Variants:
V-80 - Prototype Model Designation
V-80Sh-1 - Pre-Production Prototype; two examples produced; "Shturmovik-1"
designation for "single seat assaulter".
Ka-50 - Production Model Designation
Ka-50N "Nochnoy" - Developmental Night-Capable Variant with FLIR.
Ka-50Sh "Shar" - Developmental Night-Capable Variant with FLIR.
Ka-52 "Alligator" - All weather, day / night two-seat variant with
side-by-side cockpit seating.
Ka-50-2 - Proposed Export Designation
Ka-50-2 "Erdogan" - Proposed Turkish attack helicopter requirement by Kamov
and Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) through a joint proposition; tandem
twinseat cockpit; never purchased or produced.
Specifications: Kamov Ka-50 Chernaya Akula (Black Shark) (Hokum)
Dimensions:
Length: 0.00ft (0.00m)
Width: 47.57ft (14.50m)
Height: 16.17ft (4.93m)
Performance:
Max Speed: 193mph (310kmh; 167kts)
Max Range: 323miles (520km)
Rate-of-Climb: 1,575ft/min (480m/min)
Ceiling: 13,123ft (4,000m; 2.5miles)
Structure:
Accommodation: 1 or 2
Hardpoints: 4
Empty Weight: 0lbs (0kg)
MTOW: 23,810lbs (10,800kg)
Power:
Engine(s): 2 x Klimov TV3-117VK turboshaft engines generating 2,226shp and
driving two three-blade counter-rotating co-axial main rotors.
Weapons Suite:
1 x 30mm Shipunov 2A42 cannon
Mission-specific armament can include a combination of the following,
limited only by external hardpoints:
12 x AT-16 Vikhr-M Laser-Guided Air-to-Surface Anti-Tank Missiles
12 x AS-12 "Kegler" air-to-surface missiles
4 x Vympel R-73 (AA-11 "Archer") short-range air-to-air missiles
4 x S-8 HE / Munitions-Dispensing Rocket Pods (80 total rockets)
4 x S-13 Munitions-Dispensing Rocket Pods
4 x 23mm Gun Pods
4 x 1,100lb bombs
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