Coaxial revival

The growing drive to procure new helicopters for the Russian Air Force gives a chance to some programs that were previously underestimated or downright overlooked. This is what seems to be happening now to the Kamov Ka-52 assault helicopter, which has up to now been losing domestic competition to its major rival Mil Mi-28N. The Kamov program saw a revival in the beginning of September, when the Russian Helicopters holding company (which oversees series production of both types) announced a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry for delivering more than 140 Ka-52s to the Russian Air Force. The deal is estimated at 120 bln rubles (about $4.1 bln), with deliveries expected to continue through 2020.

The contract allows the Ka-52 to catch up with the Mi-28N, which was earlier selected by the military as the main attack helicopter to replace the ageing fleet of Mi-24s. The Air Force has ordered about 100 Mi-28s, and already reportedly operates more than 40 of the type. The latest batch of six helicopters was delivered in October. The first Mi-28N squadron, deployed in Budenovsk in Russia’s southern Stavropol region, was cleared for daytime, fair-weather operations in August 2010.