Ka-50-2 Erdogan helicopter for Turkish Air Force
Intro to Erdogan Machine
The Kamov Ka-50-2 Erdogan is a single-seat small attack helicopter with coaxial rotor, developed in cooperation with Kamov and IAI for Turkish Air Force. It was developed from Ka-50 Black Shark/Werewolf. Primary duty is to detect and destroy land-targets. It should be in service with Turkish Air Force, but contract is canceled.
It is a modernized development of the single-seat Kamov Ka-50, and first flew on 25 June 1997. The Kamov Design Bureau initiated their Project Ka-50 for an advanced single seat twin-engined battlefield helicopter to incorporate the latest avionics and weapons systems, capable of operating and surviving in very hostile battlefield environments.
The Kamov Ka-50-2 Erdogan development progressed through a series of prototype and pre-production machines; production versions should enter service with the Turkish Air Forces in the 2012 or 2013, but contract was canceled.
In 1997, Kamov proposed the Ka-50-2 Erdogan to provide battlefield command and control, reconnaissance and target designation for the support of helicopter group attack operations; this would require yet more sophisticated avionics equipment which in turn required a systems operator in addition to the pilot.
The Kamov Ka-50-2 Erdogan was converted from a single seat Kamov Ka-50, and has 84% commonality with that type, the most obvious structural change being the widened forward fuselage, including the crew’s automatic emergency escape systems and rocket-powered ejection seats. In the event of a crew ejection, the firing mechanism for the seat automatically detonates the explosive release of all six rotor blades.
During the last few years various fire control and detection systems have been tested on the Kamov Ka-50-2 Erdogan, including a Samsheet weapons control system with a Rotor electro-optical (TV) sighting system in the nose and a Samsheet-E gyro-stabilised surveillance and sighting system ball turret mounted above and behind the cockpit. Under the nose is a high magnification binocular periscope used by the systems operator. Other such systems continue to be tested and upgraded.
The Kamov Ka-50-2 Erdogan is little heavier than the Ka-50 even with a reduction in armour plating, though its overall performance figures are generally similar.
The primary fixed weapon of Kamov Ka-50-2 Erdogan is the powerful side-mounted 2A42 30mm cannon, while the wing hard points can carry a wide variety of stores including cannon and rocket pods, bombs, the AT-9 ‘Vikhr’ anti-tank guided missiles, chaff and flare dispensers or fuel tanks. The Erdogan can be more heavily armed than its Kamov Ka-50 predecessor, recent weapons updates can include the Kh-25ML semi-active laser guided air-to-surface missiles, R-73 or 9M39 Igla-V air-to-air missiles.
The Ka-50-2 Erdogan helicopter uses the integrated piloting/navigation/fire system controlled by a desk computer installed in the cabin. One of its elements is also the SAMSIT equipment located in a ball-like container fitted behind the pilot’s area. Its sensors assure a complex detection, identification and automated target tracking. It works in television mode and, with a laser rangefinder, provides guiding of the VIKHR guided missiles to the detected irradiated target.
The helicopter is powered by two turbo-shaft engines – TV3-117VMA, with power output of 1,641 kW, analogous to Ka-50. From viewpoint of their perspectives, both the Ka-50 and Kamov Ka-50-2 Erdogan types are expected to use engines TV3-117VMA-SB3, with power of 1,864 kW which should notably improve their flight performance.
Name: | Kamov Ka-50-2 Erdogan |
Role: | Attack Helicopter |
First Flight: | 1997. | Introduction: | Planned in future |
Primary User: | Not yet |
Service: | Planned in 2013-2015 |
Crew: | 1 or 2 |
Capacity: | 1 or 2 |
Length: | 16.0 m (52 ft 6 in) | Rotor Diameter: | 14.50 m (47 ft 7 in) |
Height: | 4.93 m (16 ft 2 in) | Weight: | 7,800 kg (18,500 lb) |
Loaded Weight: | 9,800 kg (21,600 lb) | Max. Weight: | 10,800 kg (23,810 lb) |
Powerplant: | 2 × Klimov TV3-117VMA | Power: | 1,641 kW (2,200 shp) |
Max. Speed: | 315 km/h (170 knots, 196 mph) | Range: | 545 km (290 nm, 339 mi) |
Rate Of Climb: | 10.00 m/s (33 ft/s) | Service Ceiling: | 5,500 m (18,000 ft) |
Number Built: | Still in development | Unit Cost: | 25.000.000 USD (planned) |
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