Kamov Ka-50

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The Kamov Ka-50 "Black Shark" (Russian: Чёрная акула; Chornaya Akula, NATO reporting name: Hokum-A) is a single-seat Russian attack helicopter with the distinctive coaxial rotor system of the Kamov design bureau. It was designed in the 1980s and adopted for service in the Russian army in 1995. It is manufactured by the Progress company in Arsenyev. It is being used as a heavily armed scout helicopter.

During the late 1990s, Kamov and Israel Aerospace Industries developed a tandem-seat cockpit version, the Kamov Ka-50-2 "Erdogan", to compete in Turkey's attack helicopter competition. Kamov also designed another two-seat variant, the Kamov Ka-52 "Alligator" (Russian: Аллигатор, NATO reporting name: Hokum-B).

Variants[edit | edit source]

  • Kamov V-80: Prototype version for Ka-50.
  • Kamov Ka-50: Single-seat version.
  • Kamov Ka-50N: Ka-50 with night attack capability.
  • Kamov Ka-50Sh: Ka-50 with improved night attack capability.
  • Kamov Ka-50-2 "Erdogan": Version with a two-seat tandem cockpit.
  • Kamov Ka-52 "Alligator": Highly upgraded version with a two-seat side-by-side cockpit for the Russian Air Force.
  • Kamov Ka-52K "Katran": Naval version with folding blade and reinforced landing gear, wing shortened for basing on ships and the possibility of using Kh-35 anti-ship missile.

Users[edit | edit source]

  • People's Republic of China
    • People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force x 36
  • Egypt
    • Egyptian Air Force x 46
  • Russia
    • Russian Air Force x 156
    • Russian Naval Aviation x 28
  • Turkey
    • Turkish Navy x 32

See Also[edit | edit source]

Related Development[edit | edit source]

Comparable Aircraft[edit | edit source]