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weapons suite. The preparations for the official tests of the upgraded Ka-52 kicked off in 2006. To take part in the trials, the Progress aircraft plant in Arsenyev had manufactured two more prototypes (side numbers 062 and 063) in 2008. On 26 December 2008, Russian Air Force chief Col.-Gen. Alexander Zelin signed the preliminary report on the first stage of the Ka-52 official test programme, which recommended a low-rate initial production batch manufacturing. The first three production-standard machines (serials 51, 52 and 53) were built in Arsenyev in 2009 and entered the official trials too. At the same time, the plant launched the full-scale production of the Ka-52 under the late 2009 governmental order for 36 helicopters.
In December 2010, four production Ka-52s were fielded with the Army Aviation Combat and Conversion Training Centre in the town of Torzhok for operational evaluation, and May 2011 witnessed the delivery of an eight-ship production-standard Ka-52 batch to the Chernigovka Army Aviation Base in the Russian Far East, which had operated Mi-24V/P helicopters. Thus, Progress has made and delivered as many as 15 productionconfiguration Ka-52s within less than three years. This autumn, the plant was handling the final assembly of the further eight helicopters with four more machines undergoing their acceptance tests prior to their fielding with a combat unit. They are being fitted with FH01 radar systems the Phazotron-NIIR corporation shipped to Arsenyev. The four Ka-52s, too, will have been fielded with the Chernigovka air base before yearend. Further down the road, radars of the type will be retrofitted to the inservice early production helicopters. Russian Helicopters holding company Director General Dmitry Petrov
said in early September that the Russian Defence Ministry awarded a new long-term order “for more than 140 Ka-52 helicopters” on 31 August 2011. It is significant that the helicopter of the type is planned for adoption with not only the Army Aviation, but also the Russian Navy. As is known, the Ka-52K shipborne multirole combat helicopter is to become the mainstay of the strike power of the air groups to be carried by the Mistral-class amphibious assault ships. Kamov is running the development of the shipborne version that will have the folding main rotor blades and folding wings and a number of other modifications as well. Progress Managing Director Yury Denisenko told the media that the Ka-52K’s full-rate production and deliveries were slated for 2014. In addition, Russian Helicopters and Kamov, coupled with Rosoboronexport JSC, are cooperating in promoting the Ka-52A export version to the global market. A number of countries displayed keen interest in buys such helicopters as far as several years ago.
Andrey Fomin
Take-off's archive
The official trials of the Kamov Ka-52 multirole combat helicopter equipped with the Arbalet radar system (FH01) from the Phazotron-NIIR corporation were completed successfully in November 2011. In midNovember, the acceptance report recommending the Ka-52 with its FH01 radar system for full-scale production and service entry was signed. The first Ka-52 two-seat multirole combat helicopter prototype (side number 061) was made by the Kamov company as far back as 1997. The preliminary stage of its official test programme, which provided for assessment of its flight performance, was completed in 2003. Later on, the helicopter was upgraded, getting an improved avionics and an expanded guided
Alexey Mikheyev
Arbalet-fitted Ka-52 wraps up its trials
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take-off decemeber 2011
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