Ka-52 "Alligator" - intellectual support helicopter

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

"Alligator" is a helicopter with the most advanced set of on-board equipment and the most effective weapon system today. In addition, this combat vehicle, which has no analogues in the world, has a number of unique flight and tactical characteristics and capabilities. "Alligator" - a helicopter officially recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the best combat vehicle in the world in its class. It is safe to say that the Ka-52, which is an extremely well-modified two-seat version of the legendary Ka-50 Black Shark helicopter, is considered the pride of the Russian armed forces and the triumph of Russian scientific and technical thought.

The main difference from its predecessor is a double cabin with transverse placement of crew members. "Alligator" - a helicopter designed to assault fortified ground targets from the lowest possible heights, regardless of weather conditions and timedays. The appearance of the co-pilot made it possible to significantly expand the combat capabilities of the vehicle. The new crew member can provide (simultaneously with fire support for ground units) conducting reconnaissance and electronic warfare, detecting and recognizing targets even at maximum distance. It also became possible to conduct target designation, target distribution and coordination of actions of ground troops, and to effectively interact with strike aircraft.

In the Aviation and Cosmonautics magazine, the Ka-52 Alligator helicopter is called an intellectual support vehicle. He fully justifies this definition. "Alligator" - a helicopter equipped with such advanced navigation equipment that allows the combat vehicle to return to its starting point completely independently in case of injury to the pilots or loss of consciousness. Most airborne equipment systems operate on a "plug and play" basis. In other words, they are equipped with unique intelligent autonomous systems.

More than a third of the body of the machine is made of lightweight and extremely durable composite materials, which made it possible to significantly reduce the flight weight of the helicopter, armor all vital components and assemblies, and also reliably protect the cockpit, which, by the way, is equipped with three multifunctional modern color LCD displays, and crew members have at their disposal special helmet-mounted indicator sights.

The Alligator helicopter is intended for round-the-clock combat, reconnaissance andcoordination use. It works great in a group with other vehicles, interacts with ground units and command posts. In the future, it is planned to include advanced anti-tank missiles with a range of up to fifteen kilometers in the composition of its weapons. In the forward segment of the fuselage of the machine, Thompson thermal imagers are installed. This choice is due to some delays in the development of similar domestic equipment and the desire of the Design Bureau to show potential customers its readiness to equip the best combat helicopter in the world with electronic systems not only of domestic production, but also of foreign ones.

In the impressive size of the sphere, located above the cockpit, there is a Russian-made optical-location complex "Samshit", which includes various ultra-modern television and laser equipment. Also, the machine is equipped with a powerful telescope with an extremely sensitive optical head, which has a special rangefinder-target designator. Such equipment makes it possible to detect and track small targets at a great distance, organically complementing much more "finicky" television-thermal imaging systems. The Arbalet radar is installed above the rotor hub, which is the most advanced equipment of its kind in the world.

Of course, the introduction of such sophisticated equipment and the addition of a co-pilot to the crew without making any changes to the previous power plant led to a decrease in some flight performanceKa-52 in comparison with the Black Shark. The ceiling and rates of climb have decreased, the value of the maximum operational overload has slightly decreased. However, the "Alligator" is not intended to "rush at the embrasure with its chest", taking fire upon itself. This is a real and sophisticated intelligence of special operations. Its main mission is to ensure the combat use of the more dynamic and thick-skinned Black Sharks, which the Ka-52 harmoniously complements. In addition, its main tasks are combat control, coordination and reconnaissance and cover activities, which determined the composition of its radio and optoelectronic equipment.