Kamov Ka-27

The helicopter was developed for ferrying and anti-submarine warfare. Design work began in 1969 and the first prototype flew in 1973. It was intended to replace the decade-old Kamov Ka-25, and had to have identical or smaller external dimensions than its predecessor. Like other Kamov military helicopters it has coaxial rotors, removing the need for a tail rotor. In total, five prototypes and pre-series helicopters were built. Series production started at Kumertau in July 1979, and the new helicopter officially entered service with the Soviet Navy in April 1981.[2]

The Ka-27 has a crew of three with a pilot and navigator both stationed in the cockpit, and a sonar operator seated behind them. It has a four-leg fixed landing gear. The Ka-27 is equipped with two lateral buoys, that can be inflated in the case of a forced landing on water.[2]

The Ka-27PL anti-submarine version is equipped with a radar, and either a dipping sonar or a magnetic anomaly detector. It can also carry either up to 36 sonobuoys, or a torpedo, or between six and eight conventional depth charges, or a single nuclear one. Ka-27PLs generally operate in pairs as hunter-killer teams.[2]

The Ka-27PS search and rescue helicopter can carry 12 folding seats or four stretchers in its cabin, and is equipped with a 300-kg winch. Its fuel capacity is greater than that of the Ka-27PL (3.450 L against 2.940 L).[2]

Ka-32 variants, e.g. the Klimov-powered Ka-32A11BC, have been certified for commercial operations throughout the world, notably in Canada and Europe. The Ka-32 has been certified for the newer Klimov VK-2500PS-02 engine.[3]

Ka-27s aboard the aircraft carrier Novorossiysk in 1984

A Russian Navy Ka-27 helicopter from the Russian Udaloy-class destroyer Severomorsk conducted interoperability deck landing training on board the US command ship USS Mount Whitney on 22 July 2010.[4]

Ka-32A11BC multipurpose helicopters have been successfully operated in Portugal for over five years. In 2006, Kamov won the tender for the supply of Ka-32A11BC firefighting helicopters, to replace Aérospatiale SA 330 Pumas.

Over 240 Ka-32 have been built as of 2019 and have been exported to more than 30 countries;[5] South Korea operates some 60 Ka-32s.[6][7] In the mid-1990s Russia offset debt to South Korea through supplies of weapons.[8]

The Ka-32A11BC features a high power-to-weight ratio and ease of handling, owing to its coaxial rotor design. The rotors' diameters are not restricted by the presence of a tail rotor and associated tail boom; this facilitates maneuvering near obstacles and helps assure exceptional accuracy when hovering in heavy smoke and dust conditions. The Ka-32A11BC may be equipped with the Bambi Bucket suspended fire-fighting system of up to five tons capacity. The service life has been extended to up to 32,000 flight hours.[9]

Since the 1990s, China has purchased the Ka-28 export version and Ka-31 radar warning version for the PLAN fleet. Ka-31 purchases were first revealed in 2010. It is believed that Chinese Ka-28s have been equipped with more enhanced avionics compared to Ka-28s exported to other countries.[10]

In 2013, Russia tested the new Kamov Ka-27M with an active electronically scanned array radar. The basis of the modernization of the Ka-27M is installed on the helicopter airborne radar with an active phased array antenna FH-A. This radar is part of the command and tactical radar system that combines several other systems: acoustic, magnetometric, signals intelligence and radar. All the information on them is displayed on the display instrumentation.[11]

Ka-32s are used for construction of transmission towers for overhead power lines, as it has somewhat higher lift capacity than the Vertol 107.[12] In Canada, the Ka-32 is used for selective logging as it is able to lift selective species vertically.[13]

In August 2013, a Kamov Ka-32, C-GKHL operating in Bella Coola, British Columbia, Canada, experienced failure of one of its Klimov TV3-117BMA engines (manufactured by Motor Sich in Ukraine). The subsequent technical investigation indicated that there was poor quality control in the assembly of the compressor turbine, leading to failure of the complete unit after several compressor blades separated.[14]

Ka-27s have been used by the Syrian Navy during the ongoing Syrian Civil War.[15]

Data from [55][56]

General characteristics

• Crew: one-three, plus two-three specialists (Ka-27)
  
• Capacity: 4,000 kg (8,818 lb) payload (Ka-32), or up to 16 troops (Ka-29).
• Length: 11.3 m (37 ft 1 in)
• Height: 5.5 m (18 ft 1 in)
• Empty weight: 6,500 kg (14,330 lb)
• Gross weight: 11,000 kg (24,251 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 12,000 kg (26,455 lb)
• Powerplant: 2 × Isotov TV3-117V turboshaft engines, 1,660 kW (2,230 hp) each
• Main rotor diameter: 2 × 15.8 m (51 ft 10 in)
• Main rotor area: 392.2 m² (4,222 sq ft) 3-bladed contra-rotating rotors

Performance

• Maximum speed: 270 km/h (170 mph, 150 kn)
• Cruise speed: 205 km/h (127 mph, 111 kn)
• Range: 980 km (610 mi, 530 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 5,000 m (16,000 ft)

Armament
Ka-27

• 1 × torpedoes (AT-1M, VTT-1, UMGT-1 Orlan, APR-2 Yastreb) or 36 RGB-NM & RGB-NM-1 sonobuoys

Ka-29TB

• 1 × mobile forward firing GShG-7.62 machine gun with 1800 rounds,
• 1 × 30 mm 2A42 cannon with 250 rounds (flexible semi-rigid mount, optional/removable with ammunition carried in cabin)
• four external hardpoints for bombs, rockets, gunpods, munitions dispensers, special four round missile launchers for the 9K114 Shturm

Avionics

• Radar, MAD or dipping sonar, sonobuoys

Related development

• Kamov Ka-25
• Kamov Ka-31

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite
• Eurocopter AS565 Panther
• Harbin Z-20
• SH-60 Seahawk
• Westland Lynx
• Mitsubishi H-60

Related lists

• List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS
• List of rotorcraft

Notes

Bibliography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kamov Ka-27.

• Kamov Ka-27 - Information Resource (eng/rus)
• Ka-28 helicopters in Chinese navy (zh-cn)
• Ka-27 Helix Multirole Naval Helicopters Images & Information
• Ka-32 Information Resource (eng) on kahelicopter.com