Troop movement is not an easy task, and it gets even more difficult when you have to move through the air. The US Army is working with NASA to develop a new fleet of helicopters for future combat missions. Some models developed in the early 60s are still in use, and since then technology has stepped forward significantly. And, as we can see in these art images, the next generation of helicopters will be very different from the current one.

The latest Army Technology magazine looks at what new helicopters could be. In August, the Pentagon ordered two prototypes from Sikorsky-Boeing and Bell Helicopter.

Sikorsky's SB-1 Defiant design features a pusher propeller that will allow the helicopter to take off faster than aircraft with rotors.

Sikorsky-Boeng SB-1 Concept

V-280 Valor by Bell Helicopter's looks like a lighter version of the V-22 Osprey, but has an estimated speed of 500 km/h and can carry half as many soldiers as the V-22. It is planned in three versions - a variant for transporting people or equipment, a medical evacuation model and a combat helicopter equipped with missiles.

V-280 Valor Concept

It is planned that he will be able to transport a detachment of 12 soldiers plus 4 crew members, fly at an altitude of more than 2000 meters in high temperatures and cover a distance of 3800 kilometers without refueling. Ned Chase, program director, says it's a bit cheaper and faster to develop a combined aircraft instead of several separate versions. But other merged projects with more requirements show that this is not always the case.

With what will the third largest helicopter manufacturer in the world conquer the market in the future?

The top five helicopters of the future included Ansat and Ka-226T light multi-purpose vehicles, medium multifunctional helicopter Ka-62, holder of five world records Mi-38 and modernized transport-passenger Mi-171A2.

ANSAT
Development: 1994
Kazan Helicopters
Project stage: testing in 2013
Load capacity: 1.3 t
Passengers: 8

The Ansat light helicopter, capable of carrying up to 8 passengers or 1.3 tons of cargo, was developed by the Kazan Helicopter Plant (KVZ). The first prototype was created in 1997, and serial production began in 2004. Since then, the plant has produced 20 machines with an electronic control system, which it was decided to replace with a hydromechanical one. Testing of the first experimental helicopter with the new control system will begin in the second half of 2013.

KA-226T
Development: modification of the Ka-226 1997
OKB Kamov
Project stage: certification in 2013
Load capacity: 1.2t
Passengers: 7

Light helicopter Ka-226T (capable of carrying up to seven passengers or 1.5 tons of cargo) is a modification of the Ka-226, which the Kamov Design Bureau created in 1997. In autumn 2013, according to plans, the helicopter will be fully certified. Due to the modularity of the design, it can be used to rescue those in distress or become an ambulance, patrol specially protected areas and land special units on sites that are not equipped for this, transport cargo on an external sling or inside the cabin.

KA-62
Development: 1990
OKB Kamov

Load capacity: 2 t
Passengers: 15

The Ka-62 medium helicopter (15 passengers or 2 tons of cargo) has been developed by Kamov since 1992. A full-size mock-up was first shown in 1995, then work on this project was curtailed due to lack of funds. The second presentation took place in 2012 as part of the Russian Helicopters holding. According to the approved plans, the first flight of the Ka-62 will take place in the summer of 2013, the first deliveries will begin in 2015. The helicopter already has its first customer - the Brazilian company Atlas Táxi Aéreo.

MI-38
Development: 1987
KB Milya
Project stage: production in 2015
Load capacity: 6 t
Passengers: 30

The design of the Mi-38 medium multi-purpose helicopter (up to 30 passengers or 6 tons of cargo) began in 1987 to replace the Mi-8 / Mi-17, it was planned to start mass production in 1998. To date, the assembly of the third prototype has been completed, which is planned to be handed over to the helicopter developer, the Mil Design Bureau, for flight tests in the near future. The fourth prototype is being assembled at Kazan Helicopter Plant. The start of serial production of the Mi-38 helicopter in Kazan is scheduled for 2015.

MI-171A2
Development: modification of the Mi-8 1961,
Kazan Helicopters
Project stage: production in 2015
Load capacity: 5 t
Passengers: 24

The Mi-171A2 medium multi-purpose helicopter (up to 26 passengers or 5 tons of cargo) is another modification of the Soviet Mi-8s, the production of which was launched back in 1965 (12,000 Mi-8s and their modifications have been produced since then). The first prototype of the Mi-171A2 helicopter is currently being assembled. New avionics, new electronic equipment are at the final stage of assembly, new VK-2500 engines are being installed. It is assumed that the first prototype will be presented in August this year. Helicopter certification is scheduled for the end of 2014, serial production for 2015.

Helicopters are military - they kill. And there are "peaceful" - they save. Without them, it would sometimes be impossible to evacuate the wounded from hard-to-reach areas or deliver humanitarian aid to a disaster area. Today we will talk about civilian helicopters, about the latest developments of domestic and foreign helicopter industry and about the concepts of the distant future. Russia is among the world leaders in the production of helicopters, and every year the volume of manufactured products is growing.

If in 2007 the country's aviation enterprises produced a little more than 100 rotorcraft, then in 2012 - almost 300. Recently, Russia has taken third place in the world helicopter manufacturing market. According to the results of 2013, the Russian Helicopters holding, which includes all the country's helicopter companies, produced more than 300 helicopters, including civil and military ones.

The dynamics cannot but rejoice, but there are some nuances here. The fact is that almost all models of Russian helicopters were basically developed back in the USSR. Of course, it will not work to stand still forever and at the same time impose a struggle on the world's leading manufacturers. At some stage, the legacy of the Soviet Union will exhaust itself, and fundamentally new developments require appropriate funding and the availability of human resources. Among the models of Russian rotary-wing machines, light helicopters - Ansat and Ka-226 - stand apart - they were created after the collapse of the Union. But these helicopters, like some other new models, are not widely used either in Russia or abroad. After all, fundamentally new technology always needs to be improved, and in the harsh conditions of the 1990s, funding for new developments was very conditional. Thus, the implementation of many projects began only now, with a big delay.

Even in our time, models developed on the basis of the legendary Soviet Mi-8 helicopter are the most popular. We will start with one of these machines.

Mi-8 / ©Armedman

Mi-8 is one of the most massive helicopters in world history. In total, from 1965 to the present day, about 12 thousand such machines have been built. Mi-8 is used in more than 50 countries around the world. The helicopter proved to be excellent for both peaceful and military purposes.

The promising Mi-171A2 helicopter made its debut at the MAKS-2013 air show. The close relationship of the new model with the "eight" is visible to the naked eye: the Mi-171A2 inherited many features from its progenitor, combining simplicity and reliability with the requirements of the 21st century. When creating this machine, the wishes of the operators were fully taken into account. The new multifunctional helicopter can take on board up to 24 passengers and transport up to 5 tons of cargo on an external sling. During the tests, the declared maximum speed of 280 km / h was confirmed. Compared to previous modifications of the Mi-8, the Mi-171A2 has a more powerful engine, an improved fuselage design and a fundamentally new electronics.

Mi-17 / ©Russian Helicopters

Airborne equipment complex Mi-171А2 / ©UKBP

Domestic aircraft manufacturers pin great hopes on the new Mi-38 multi-purpose helicopter. The development of a promising machine began in the 1980s. It was planned that the "thirty-eighth" would come to replace the Mi-8 / Mi-17. Since then, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge, and the project has undergone great changes. Like the vast majority of modern helicopters, the new machine has a "glass cockpit" in which electronic displays are installed instead of analog instruments. It is planned that many modifications of the Mi-38 will be built, designed to solve a variety of tasks. In the passenger modification, the helicopter will be able to take on board up to 32 passengers. In other versions, it can be used for transporting goods, evacuating the wounded, patrolling the sea and other purposes. In addition to civilian, it is planned to create a military version.

Mi-38 / © Russian Helicopters

A feature of the new machine is the widespread use of composite materials. In particular, the blades and non-power elements of the Mi-38 fuselage are made of composites. To date, the machine is being tested, a total of four prototypes have been built.

Mi-38 / © Russian Helicopters

At the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, another long-term construction project is being developed - the Mi-54 multi-purpose helicopter. This machine is designed not so much to compete with the Mi-38, but to complement it and other new modifications of the Mi-8/17. Still, the Mi-54 is a helicopter of a slightly different class.
If the maximum takeoff weight of the Mi-38 is 15.6 tons, then the takeoff weight of the Mi-54 does not even reach 5 tons. It is smaller and more compact than the average Russian multi-purpose helicopters. Mi-54 can accommodate from 10 to 12 passengers and is designed to solve a variety of tasks: cargo transportation, rescue operations, patrols. It can also be used as a business class helicopter.

Mi-54 / ©Russian Helicopters

Despite all the innovation, the fate of the Mi-54 from the very beginning promised to be difficult. The project was born at the wrong time, in the wrong place - in the early 1990s, when it was not possible to count on the success of the development. Until now, the project is at the research stage, and its future remains vague. Much less fear is inspired by the fate of the brainchild of Kamov JSC - the latest multi-purpose helicopter Ka-62. This beautiful car is a passenger version of the military transport Ka-60 Kasatka. From the basic model, the Ka-62 inherited many features - both external and internal. For example, the civilian modification will be equipped with an RD-600 engine - the same unit is installed on the Kasatka. In terms of its potential capabilities, the new machine is close to the Mi-54: the maximum takeoff weight of the Kamov helicopter is 6.5 tons, and the passenger capacity does not exceed 15 people. Like the Mi-54, the Ka-62 may be in demand in the business segment. Obviously, the new helicopter will also be able to take on some of the functions that the Mi-8 still performs. The developers of the Ka-62 note the great export potential of their offspring: when it was created, the wishes of potential customers from other countries were taken into account.

No matter what difficulties domestic aircraft manufacturers face, one thing is clear - the new Mil and Kamov helicopters have great potential. At the same time, of all Russian projects in the field of helicopter construction, the Mi-38 and Ka-62 can be considered the most promising.

Ka-62 / ©Russian Helicopters

Ka-62 engine / ©Wikipedia

Helicopter of the future

When it comes to innovations in the field of aircraft construction, the Americans are, of course, ahead of the rest. In 2008, an experimental high-speed helicopter Sikorsky X2 flew. A distinctive feature of the new model was the presence of a pusher propeller located in the tail of the helicopter (like a propeller for marine vessels). This arrangement allowed the X2 to reach an incredible speed for a helicopter - 460 km / h, setting a new world record for horizontal speed among rotorcraft. The Sikorsky X2's rotors are coaxial, with one propeller on top of the other, a design that was widely recognized by the Soviet military development of the Ka-50. Despite the fact that $50 million was invested in the X2 program, it was closed in 2011. However, the developments obtained during the tests will be used for a new project - a promising combat rotorcraft Sikorsky S-97 Raider.

Sikorsky X2 / ©Sikorsky

S-97 / ©Sikorsky

However, the speed record set by American engineers did not last long: it was recently beaten in Europe. In 2010, an experimental Eurocopter X3 took off. The basic model for the new project was the A?rospatiale AS.365 Dauphin multipurpose helicopter. In one of the test flights, the X3 topped out at 487 km/h. In addition, the new helicopter managed to set another world record - for the speed of vertical descent. X-Cube, as the new development has already been dubbed, combines vertical and horizontal thrust in its design. In addition to the main rotor, the helicopter has propellers and small "airplane" type wings.

Eurocopter X3 / ©Eurocopter

Like its American counterpart, the new helicopter is not destined to go into production. Eurocopter X3 is an experimental model, the main task of which is to develop new features. But you can be completely sure that the tests of the X3 will not be in vain. The experience gained by European aircraft manufacturers will be used to create a new high-speed helicopter, designated LifeCraft.

Very soon, China's position in the world helicopter market will strengthen. Aviation Industry Corp, China's leading helicopter manufacturer, is working on a variety of future helicopter concepts. The main thing that unites all these developments is a very high flight speed. So, the Chinese presented the concept of the Blue Whale heavy helicopter. According to the plans of the developers themselves, the speed of the aircraft will have to reach 700 km/h! The maximum carrying capacity of the device, which will be 20 tons, is also impressive.

Blue Whale has four rotary propellers, each equipped with four blades. During takeoff and landing, the propellers create vertical thrust, and when the device is in flight - horizontal, like a tiltrotor. On the basis of Blue Whale, it is also planned to create a military helicopter.

Blue Whale / ©AVIC

In order to develop technologies for creating high-speed helicopters, the Chinese are also developing an unmanned high-speed Jueying-8. The drone has a coaxial scheme, and the declared speed will have to be 400 km / h.

With a request to comment on the possibility of implementing innovative projects in the field of helicopter construction, we turned to Pavel Solyanik, a senior lecturer at the National Aerospace University named after Zhukovsky: “The issue of implementing new schemes in the field of helicopter construction lies, first of all, in the plane of economic feasibility. Undoubtedly, helicopters have great advantages: they are able to hover in the air, carry out vertical takeoff and landing. But during takeoff or landing, the helicopter spends a lot of fuel. At the same time, fuel consumption during the flight is not so great. If we equip a rotorcraft with a push or pull propeller, the flight speed will increase, but so will the fuel consumption. Thus, the helicopter may lose one of its main advantages - efficiency. Therefore, the development of high-speed helicopters of the future should be economically feasible.”

Russian concept

Today, in Russia, too, they have come close to working out the concept of a helicopter of the future. One of the most amazing projects is considered to be the Ka-90 jet, first introduced in 2008. The device will take off like an ordinary helicopter, with the help of a main rotor, and when it is in the air and picks up the desired speed, it will fold the propeller and turn on the turbojet engine, developing 800 km / h or more. However, this bold project may come with a host of risks. For example, it is completely unclear how stability and controllability of the Ka-90 will be ensured. The second question is whether such a technologically sophisticated machine can pay for itself?

Another promising development of Kamov is the Ka-92 passenger helicopter. The aircraft has a coaxial rotor design, plus one pusher. The cruising speed of the new car should be 450 km / h, passenger capacity - 30 people. One of its main features is a long flight range, reaching 1500 km. The development of a new rotorcraft is planned to be completed by 2020. Of all the concepts presented by Kamov, the heaviest is the Ka-102. According to the plans of the developers, the takeoff weight of the aircraft will reach 30 tons, and at a speed of up to 500 km/h it will be able to carry 80-90 passengers.

Ka-92 / ©Kamov

The new helicopter is created according to a longitudinal scheme with two horizontal rotors, with the rear one located slightly higher than the front one. The same scheme was implemented on the well-known American military transport helicopter Boeing CH-47 Chinook. Apparently, the developers also intend to equip their offspring with two turbojet engines. If the project is successfully implemented, the Ka-102 will be able to take over some of the functions that the Mi-26 heavy helicopter is currently performing.

The Mil designers do not lag behind the Kamovites: not so long ago they presented the concept of a medium-sized multifunctional helicopter of the future, which received the symbol Mi-X1. It is implemented according to the usual scheme with one carrier and one pusher propellers. The Mi-X1 concept echoes the concept of the American experimental helicopter Piasecki X-49. And although the new project is devoid of revolutionary innovations, its future is seen as much more realistic than the construction of the futuristic Ka-90 or Ka-102. Be that as it may, classic helicopters will be in demand on the market for a very long time.

Ka-90 / ©Vitaly V. Kuzmin

Ka-90 / ©Kamov

Traditional Mi-8 helicopters will not change radically, says Pavel Bulat, a well-known Russian aviation specialist. “Their design approached the optimum 30 years ago. High-speed concepts, in my opinion, have no future: they are more expensive than airplanes, business jets of the same capacity. Vertical takeoff is of no such fundamental importance, since these are expensive salon models. Although our Ka-90, Ka-92, Ka-102, Mi-X1 are conceptually no worse than Sicorsky X2 and Eurocopter. The very purpose of such devices is simply not clear. Helicopters are waiting for a purely functional and utilitarian future. Probably, flight qualities will grow up, mechanics will be simplified, jet blades will appear. If we talk about non-aerodrome high-speed vehicles, then this is something completely different, some kind of hybrid schemes based on aircraft, not helicopters.

The Sikorsky Aircraft and Boeing companies recently showed a video of a conceptual view of a combat helicopter that will become the basis of the US Army's propeller-driven aviation, the authoritative military technical magazine janes.com writes.
Screenshot from the Sikorsky / Boeing video.

After many years of fighting Islamists in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon came to the conclusion that the helicopter fleet of the US armed forces is gradually becoming obsolete and running out of resources. In combat conditions, the machines flew five times more often than in peacetime, worked in critical modes, received damage, fell to the ground due to damage from enemy fire and technical problems. In this regard, back in 2009, the program of the “future vertical take-off machine” was launched - "Future Vertical Lift" (FVL), within which they must create a helicopter using the latest technologies and materials. It is planned that the new vehicle will have a longer range, the ability to carry more cargo, be more maneuverable, reliable and convenient for the crew and repairmen.

Video from the account of Lockheed Martin, the owner of Sikorsky.

At the same time, the FVL will become a “family” platform for creating machines for various purposes, and therefore will replace most of the US Army helicopters - attack, transport, and reconnaissance. FVL platforms will be produced in "medium" and "heavy" versions. The former will replace Apache and Black Hawk helicopters, while the latter will replace Chinook helicopters. Sikorsky and Boeing have teamed up to take to the air the Sb-1 Defiant helicopter, a demonstrator of the medium weight version of the helicopter. The published video shows the future appearance of this particular machine in the shock and military transport versions.
Transport option " Defiant".

The competitor of the Sikorsky and Boeing helicopters in the struggle for a large-scale military order is Bell's V-280 Valor. The company offers a tiltrotor - that is, a machine with rotary screws, which can be used both as a propeller-driven aircraft and as a helicopter. Thus, the company plans to create a universal machine that can climb without a run, and then move at a speed unattainable for helicopters and over an incredible distance. The tiltrotor will have a speed of up to 560 km/h and a flight range of up to 3,900 km. In addition, the tiltrotor, like the Defiant, will have the ability to refuel in the air. The crew of the transport vehicle will consist of 4 people, including 2 pilots and 2 operators of combat systems, and the vehicle will also be able to take 14 troops. In addition to the transport version, Bell is also developing a shock version of the V-280 Valor and has already interested not only the US Army, but also the Marine Corps with its machine. The first prototypes of the V-280 Valor and Sb-1 Defiant are expected to appear this year, after which the military and engineers will begin long tests to select the most effective design.

“It is worth noting that the Russian Ministry of Defense has already announced the start of research work under the Advanced High-Speed ​​Helicopter (PSV) program. Then both design bureaus could not fulfill all the tasks assigned - although their projects were ready to reach the set speed, their maintenance and operating costs significantly exceeded the allowed ceiling.

However, “Milevtsy” in the first attempt moved a little further. To work out new ideas for a high-speed helicopter, they converted one of their Mi-24s into a flying laboratory.

One of the most notable differences was the new single cab with low aerodynamic drag. This solution allows to significantly reduce the weight of the machine, since it is the cabin that accounts for the bulk of the booking of the entire helicopter. That's just you can predict in advance that the military will not go to reduce the crew.

Even when creating the legendary Black Shark, Kamov Design Bureau used this technique. In general, the fighting qualities of the car did not suffer from this, only extra-class pilots could only pilot it. In addition, the presence of a double cabin is an indispensable requirement of many foreign buyers for Russian technology. Not all countries can train excellent pilots, so they prefer not to burden the pilot with navigational duties.

However, not so obvious changes were tested on the "laboratory" Mi-24. So, when creating PSV, the designers developed fundamentally new blades. Later they were used to upgrade the Mi-28 Night Hunter. As a result of this innovation, the maximum speed of the car increased by 10%, and cruising - by 13%. Thus, the Mil Design Bureau already today has the practice of real testing of individual parts of the new machine.

Before the "Kamovites" the task is much more difficult. The fact is that the coaxial scheme gives the pilot advantages in maneuvering, but it has significant restrictions on maximum speed, since there is a high air drag. In this regard, the designers intend to "make a knight's move" and use pushing propellers for horizontal acceleration on the new machine.(VPK.name 12/06/2017).

Which is more expensive?

...« although their projects were ready to develop a given speed, their maintenance and operating costs significantly exceeded the allowed ceiling.

First, "their project" from the MVZ them. M.L. Milya is not ready to “develop the set speed” even today, and secondly, it is very interesting: which of the “effective” managers from Russian Helicopters managed to calculate the costs of the Ka-92 project, if they are in ZERO aviation , and even more so in helicopters! But the main thing is that it is not available to them due to secrecy, but the Kamovites themselves have calculated everything for a long time, which is why they are offering this project for development.

In Wikipedia, the cost of the Ka-92 was announced as $30 million, while the Mi-38, which is significantly inferior to the Ka-92 in everything, in particular, by 1.5 times in speed, is today offered to customers at a price of $40 million: “Imaginary achievements and real failures of the holding...”(Edition "Our Version". 04/11/2016).

Forward to the past!

... "However," Milevtsy "in the first attempt moved a little further. To work out new ideas for a high-speed helicopter, they converted one of their Mi-24s into a flying laboratory.

If the Mil designers are moving "somewhat further", then only in reverse gear, because with phantom projects like the Mi-X1, "moving" forward is not possible. The single-cabin Mi-24 reached a speed of 400kph. only in gen. director of "effective managers" Alexander Boginsky. At 400k/h. and more, it will have such an overturning right roll due to the difference in flow velocities around the left and right sides of the main rotor that no control stick will be enough to eliminate it, just as the power of the VK-2500 engines will not be enough to accelerate the helicopter to 400k / h , which are slightly stronger than the old TV3-117. And then you need to understand that the record speed on the Mi-24 is 368k / h. reached at max . power of the engines and in a light helicopter, while the high-speed main rotor at this speed must operate with normal weight and in the cruising mode of the engines.

Another thing is a coaxial helicopter, in which the rotors rotate in opposite directions in flight, compensating for their heeling moments without the intervention of the pilot. For example, on a Ka-50 helicopter, dive test pilots reached a speed of = 460kph, which is not achievable for a classic helicopter, no matter what “flying platform” it is called! Hence, for the Ka-92, the cruising speed is 420-430k / h. - not "noodles" like the Mi-X1, but a real reality!

For research flights, Gen. designer S.V. Mikheev sees the Ka-50 helicopter

with a pusher propeller installed at the rear, or with additional propellers installed on the wings, due to which the helicopter will increase the speed by 100-150kph. (320k/h + 100k/h = 420k/h), i.e. speed equal to 400 km / h. it will be cruising, while the rejuvenated Mi-24 will be able to fly near this speed on its breath and therefore the required results from such research flights, which raises a lot of questions.

From the evil one!

... “Even when creating the legendary Black Shark, the Kamov Design Bureau used this technique. In general, the fighting qualities of the car did not suffer from this, only extra-class pilots could only pilot it.

It is strange that the author in this matter is telling the story “upside down”, because in piloting a helicopter with a tail rotor is more difficult than a coaxial one, it is the tail rotor that spoils the buzz when piloting from hovering to landing. By increasing the power of the engines for takeoff, the reactive torque of the main rotor increases accordingly. To neutralize this moment, the pilot gives his right foot, keeping the helicopter from turning. To prevent the helicopter from moving from the tail rotor thrust to the left, the pilot deflects the control stick to the right. The flight of this helicopter, due to the thrust of the tail rotor, is carried out with a slight left slip or with a slight right roll.

A coaxial helicopter does not have a tail rotor and there is no need for additional work by the controls, its piloting is similar to that of an aircraft and the author’s conclusions “on extra-class pilots” most likely come from the designers of the cost center, who diligently adhere to the principle: “If you want to annoy the Ka-50, blame it in the shortcomings of the Mi-28 "!

Again "noodles"!

But you can foresee in advance that the military will not reduce the crew.”

Do not "guess", because the "flying platform" is not a high-speed product and is inherently unsuitable for mass production. It was not the military who “went” against the Kamov single-seat, but the general designers of the Moscow Helicopters. M.L. Mil and to help them - the United States in the person of Sergei Sikorsky, who in Moscow personally broke through the replacement of the Ka-50 with the Mi-28. The American envoy turned out to be stronger than our military, and as a result, ex. Instead of the outstanding Ka-50 "Black Shark", the Minister of Defense Sergei Ivanov put into service a mediocre, and even raw Mi-28N. As for the military, from lieutenant to colonel, everyone was in favor of the single-seat Ka-50, which showed high combat qualities in the second Chechen war. They (the military) are on his side today, which cannot be said about the ministerial generals, who are far from the work of combat helicopters, but close to corruption.

Instead of a pilot-operator, the Black Shark has automatics, which, as you know, think faster than a person and more accurately! And in general, the whole world is switching to unmanned aerial vehicles, and give multi-seat attack helicopters to the designers of the cost center, managers from Russian Helicopters and ministerial generals!? Therefore, single-seat is not a reason, but just an inappropriate reason to replace the best helicopter in the world with a dead Mi-28N. Il-2 attack aircraft with one pilot in V.O.V. was the most massive combat aircraft in history (Wehrmacht soldiers called it "Schwarzer Tod"), which fought at higher speeds and also at strafing flights. The Su-25 attack aircraft still flies with a single-seat cockpit, although its speed is 2 times higher than the speed of helicopters: it confidently finds targets and also flawlessly destroys them with the same avionics as the Ka-50.

Journalistic "knight's move"

...« Before the "Kamovites" the task is much more difficult. The fact is that the coaxial scheme gives the pilot advantages in maneuvering, but it has significant restrictions on maximum speed, since there is a high air drag. In this regard, the designers intend to "make knight's move"and apply on the new machine pushing propellers for horizontal acceleration."

The Kamovites have no “knight’s move” and there is no particular difficulty in this matter, because a coaxial helicopter does not experience critical rolls with increasing speed, like the Mi-24. Increase same speed after 350k/h. problematic for a helicopter of any scheme and coaxial too, because with a further increase in speed, the efficiency of the main rotor drops significantly and it only has enough thrust to support its weight. But without any problems, you can increase the speed of the helicopter due to the additional pusher propeller. In this case, for a slicked-down Mi-24, a folk proverb says: "The game is not worth the candle!"

By the way, the frontal resistance from the coaxial propeller is less than from the tail boom with the tail rotor of the Mi helicopter, moreover, on high-speed coaxial helicopters, a fairing is installed between the propellers, which generally nullifies this resistance.

Caring for the public interest is a relic of the past!

I believe that the interest of the “effective managers” of the holding in PSV is primarily pocket-financial: “In 2016, it is planned to conclude an agreement with JSC $ MVZ im. M. L. Mil” for the “development of a preliminary project for a promising medium commercial helicopter” worth 207 million rubles. The total amount of project financing is 45.6 billion rubles. for the period from 2016 to 2024, including the planned amount of budget financing - 29.7 billion rubles. (65%)". (Annual report of "Rostvertol" for 2015 - VPK.name 07/01/2016).

Paradox: money in the cost center for research comes in large quantities and with enviable regularity, but since 1980 of the last century there have been NO new models from them and are not expected: “Chemezov: an experienced prototype of a high-speed combat helicopter will make its first flight in 2019 (26.02. .name)".

If half of this money went to the Kamov Design Bureau, then the real high-speed Ka-92 and Ka-102, which are very necessary for our Army and the State, would already be flying. Yes, and attack helicopters would be improved, because the Ka-50/52 are also aging, and to overtake them today in this matter The USA cannot just because they do not have sufficient experience in coaxial helicopters and there are no such brilliant designers as our Sergey Viktorovich Mikheev. But they are already really testing their high-speed ones and sooner or later they will be mass-produced, and philologists, sociologists and bankers who manage our helicopter industry, under various pretexts, actually simulate our helicopter construction progress.

From the history of the confrontation between the Mi-28 and Ka-50.

"Requiem for the Mi-28N" | Radio Liberty

Why do Russian combat helicopters crash?

None of the wars is without losses, but aviation losses are most painful, especially if the fighting is carried out with an enemy who has neither aviation nor modern air defense systems.

When a Russian attack helicopter was shot down in Syria on July 8, 2016, a discussion broke out in the Russian information space only about how and from what exactly it was shot down. There was also a pointless dispute about what type that helicopter was - Mi-24, Mi-25 or the "most modern" Mi-35. Although, in fact, what's the difference: the Mi-25 is the export version of the Mi-24D "for the poor", and the "newest" Mi-35 is the export version of the Mi-24VM for wealthy clients. All these helicopters differ in terms of weapons and equipment, but in fact it is the same machine, outdated in the late 1980s and posing a threat today only to lightly armed rebels. And even then not always.

However, this is a fairly common practice: for the wrong decisions of some people - in this case, on the adoption of a particular system - others pay with their lives. And the worst thing is when these decisions are dictated by narrowly departmental, and even selfish interests. The history of the Mi-28 and Ka-50/52 attack helicopters most likely belongs to the category of the latter. This epic began almost 40 years ago and has not actually ended yet.

Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Air Force Pavel Kutakhov, reasoning that no modernization of the Mi-24 would help, initiated the creation of a new generation combat helicopter. On December 16, 1976, a closed joint resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 1043-361 appeared on the development of a promising combat helicopter.

Milevtsy were absolute monopolists in the development and production of helicopters for the Ground Forces, having a powerful lobby in the apparatus of the Central Committee and the Ministry of Defense. Apparently, that is why in the Design Bureau. Mil decided not to bother themselves too much: the product they presented was better than the Mi-24, but, as it turned out, not by much. In terms of guided and unguided missile weapons, the Mi-28 remained at the level of the Mi-24: the characteristics of anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) and unguided aircraft missiles (NAR) did not change, but new weapons for the Mi-28 were not created. Instead of a combat vehicle of the future OKB im. Mil offered an absolutely raw helicopter of the previous generation, which made no sense to replace the Mi-24.

The flight and maneuvering characteristics of the Ka-50 were also higher than those of the Mi-28. The testers were delighted with the ability of the Ka-50 to make a sharp turn at high speeds as much as 180 degrees - in an air duel, this made it possible to suddenly meet an overtaking enemy with a salvo blow to the "forehead". To this day, no other helicopter in the world, except for the Ka-50 / Ka-52, can do such a tactical trick. The military was also impressed by the high operational manufacturability of the Ka-50: it could operate on unequipped sites and away from the main bases up to a crescent, and instead of 50-70 lubrication points, as on other models, it had only three. For the first time in the history of helicopter construction, the car was equipped with an ejection seat: in an extreme situation, the pilot could leave the helicopter at altitudes from almost zero to 4100 meters, while performing any maneuver and any figure. As Sergey Mikheev, general designer of OAO Kamov, explained to me in a personal conversation, the design bureau initially formulated the task of maintaining qualified flight personnel. After all, the most quickly knocked out class is the class of qualified pilots. Therefore, an ejection seat appeared, and a new approach to booking - a one-piece armored cabin.

Once an attack, then you will run into fire. And we set the task: to make the cockpit such that it could withstand 12.7 mm caliber bullets and 23 mm shells. In the terms of reference of the military, it was written: armor protection against hit by an American projectile of 20 mm caliber and ours - 23 mm. And we did it.” “In passing” were repeatedly duplicated and all the vital systems of the helicopter: if it pierces one with a fragment, there is a backup.

In the fall of 1983, the results of the tender were summed up, and the Air Force Commander-in-Chief announced the decision: the Ka-50 was selected for further testing and mass production. And the Milevites were offered to use the developments implemented on the Mi-28 to create a more advanced modification of the Mi-24. This is where the main intrigue unfolded.

It is no secret that each new model adopted for service meant a rain of Lenin and State Prizes, gold stars of the Heroes of Socialist Labor, orders, ranks and titles. But, most importantly, the allocation of huge funds for mass production. In the Soviet military-industrial complex, everything had long been settled and was divided, in each area there were monopolists, "strangers" were not allowed to come to this feeder. So all tenders and tests were usually pure fiction: the decision to adopt one or another model was made behind the scenes, often regardless of the actual combat qualities of the product. The decisive role has always been played by official connections and the proximity of the leadership of the design bureaus to the highest party elite. And here - such a fiasco of the Milevites, who for decades have tasted the delights of monopolists in the field of helicopters for army aviation! Of course, this was perceived as an encroachment on the scope of the OKB. Mile, to whose defense the entire bureaucratic army immediately rose.

Lobbyists OKB im. Mile unleashed the death of Air Force Commander-in-Chief Kutakhov in December 1984. The losers immediately turned to the new commander-in-chief with a complaint about the bias of the competition. Taking into account the powerful connections of the Milevites in the apparatus of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the new command of the Air Force did not dare to aggravate: without canceling the decision, it agreed to once again conduct comparative flight tests of both machines. Only these tests did not reveal anything fundamentally new: the Ka-50 again turned out to be the leader, and the Mi-28 did not even surpass the Mi-24.

Trying to discredit the opponent, OKB im. Mile launched a campaign of black PR, abundantly launching information through the authorities that denigrated the product of competitors, although only the customer had the right to compare helicopters with each other. The leadership of the Moscow Helicopter Plant simply rolled a slander to the Minister of Defense of the USSR and to the Central Committee of the CPSU. Further, everything is according to the knurled: checks, commissions, meetings, party meetings, new complaints ... It also came to the analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of competing helicopters at the party meeting!

But, despite the large-scale pressure of the lobbyists of the Mil company, in the fall of 1986, the corresponding research institutes of the Ministry of Defense again issued a verdict in favor of the Ka-50. Then the same vicious circle continues: slander, checks, meetings, new tests ... When the decision was again made in favor of the Ka-50 - for the umpteenth time! - the time to launch it into a series turned out to be irretrievably lost: the state crumbled, overstrained, among other things, from exorbitant military spending. So the lobbyists of the Mil company left the army without a new generation combat helicopter.

The Mi-28 is heavily praised by the Americans: “The American AH-64 Apache and the Russian Mi-28 Night Hunter are the two most advanced and deadly attack helicopters in the world,” etc., because it is weaker than the Apache, in an international competition in India, he lost to him on 20 points!

Our pilots have been constantly and for a long time promised that the most modern combat helicopter will be released in the series just about, or maybe even earlier! For example, the Head of Rostec: “In 2019, a new high-speed combat helicopter will take off in Russia. Chemezov noted that the helicopter will have a speed of over 400 km/h. For comparison: the Ka-52 has 300 km/h, the Mi-28N has 280 km/h (02/26/2018. AviaPort».

I will continue the comparison of the most “advanced and deadly” Mi-28, begun by the head of Rostec, but with the Black Shark.

What super-helicopter was deprived of our combat pilots, replacing it with the “Night Hunter.

1. The permissible speed of the Ka-50 is 390 km / h.
2. Army test pilot Colonel A. Rudykh, after testing the Ka-50 in the combat conditions of a real war in Chechnya, states: “With a full combat load, the Black Shark hangs at an altitude of 4,000 meters.” Officially, the Mi-28N has a static ceiling = 3600m. It is doubtful that with a full combat load it will stretch at least up to 2600m; and for 3600m. and there can be no conversation.
3. The ability of the "Black Shark" to vigorously turn 180 degrees. at any flight speed and meet the chasing enemy in the forehead! "Night hunter" - not available!
4. Branded combat "funnel": the helicopter moves in side flight in a wide circle over a ground target with a downward slope, which allows you to effectively evade air defense systems, while confidently keeping targets in sight. For Mi-28 - not available!
5. The Ka-50 has ejection seats! There are none on the Mi, and therefore one can only imagine: what a disgusting feeling the Mi-28 pilots experience when they fall before meeting the ground.
6. “The maneuverability of the Alligators is amazing - it seems that multi-ton machines are literally dancing. Or soar like autumn leaves in the wind. “Now you understand why the Ka-52s are the best? asks one of the accompanying officers. And, without waiting for an answer, he adds: - They are kings in the sky. Americans never dreamed of such a thing. - She is smart, flies day and night, and in the most difficult weather conditions, - Captain Sergey Gorobchenko told us about his rotorcraft. - One word, Swallow! ("Alligator" named Swallow 11/12/2014. "Star").
7. The static ceiling at the Black Shark with VK-2500 engines is 4300m.

"Static ceiling" is the max. the height of the helicopter hovering outside the zone of influence of the air cushion, and in order to better understand this characteristic in real combat conditions, I offer excerpts

From the memoirs of Afghan veterans - helicopter pilots:

“The high speed characteristics of the Mi-24 were achieved at the cost of a load on the main rotor, one and a half times greater than that of the G8. In everyday extreme conditions (heat, high mountains, increased dustiness), this significantly affected the management. Moreover, the usual piloting skills often turned out to be even harmful and could lead to an accident. On takeoff and landing with an overweight propeller, a sharp movement of the handle caused a drawdown, they tried to hold the car with a "step-gas" cottage, the acceleration of the "weakened" engines was not enough, and the helicopter fell to the ground. At low speeds on the "hill" or near the ground, the Mi-24 began to behave unusually. Controllability along the course was not enough, the reactive moment of the main rotor pulled the car into a spontaneous left turn and could fall into a helicopter tailspin. During energetic maneuvers with overload at high speeds and angles of attack, due to the stall from the blades, the Mi-24 lifted its nose, turning into a "pickup" - pitching with disobedience to control, after which it fell sharply. The case more than once ended in a rough landing on the wingtips and blocks. It was possible to avoid "pickup" by strict observance of the restrictions, but in battle it was not necessary to fly "lower and quieter". In the "pickup" and with an energetic withdrawal from a dive, there were blows of the blades on the tail boom. So, in August 1980, after attacking the caravan of the "twenty-four", the commander of the Kozovoy and his deputy Alatortsev returned to Faizabad with their tails cut by the blades. This incident had tragic consequences - having gone on a control flight after repairs, Major Kozovoi came under fire from the DShK, the tail rotor with a blown blade went haywire, the damaged tail boom collapsed, and the uncontrollable car crashed, burying the entire crew. Hero of the Soviet Union V. Gainutdinov, a commander from the "eights", who took the place of an operator in the car of his school friend, also died in it.

At the exit from a dive with an angle of 20 degrees and at a speed of 250 km/h, the Mi-24's drawdown reached 200 m. joke that it's "as easy as walking a tightrope"). The squadron from Kunduz science cost 6 Mi-24Ds lost in the first year, mostly for non-combat reasons, broken up in the mountains due to fog and unexpected air currents, broken when landing on slopes and in gorges.

Vertical take-off in conditions where the helicopter "BARELY WEARED ITSELF" was almost never used. From the runway, they usually climbed like an airplane, with a 100:150-meter takeoff run. According to the LII methodology, an even more radical way of taking off with a run only on the front wheels was mastered ”(Mi-24 in Afghanistan. Markovsky).

Mi-28 - reconfigured Mi-24.

“It can be said that I stood at the origins of this problem when the predecessor of this machine, the Mi-24 helicopter, had just appeared in Afghanistan. It was created as an air infantry fighting vehicle: it is armed and carries troops, ”Major General Alexander Tsalko, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan and former deputy commander of the Air Force of the Baltic Military District of the USSR for army aviation, explained to the VZGLYAD newspaper.

“In reality, it turned out not “and - and”, but “either - or”. With landing, but without weapons. Or with weapons, but without landing. Due to the landing, the dimensions were increased, and the dimensions are the weight. As a result, we in Afghanistan closer to the mid-80s asked to reconfigure the Mi-24, as well as to remove the cargo compartment. So it would become about a ton lighter, and it would already be a good fire support helicopter. This is how the Mi-28 helicopter appeared by the end of the 80s, ”Tsalko explained.

“When the first pilots retrained for this helicopter, the impressions were very different,” Tsalko added. - There were flaws there, which always happen at the beginning. In the process of development, they were removed. But at that time another car came out - the Ka-50, it was SIGNIFICANTLY better than the Mi-28. Because the Mi-28 is just a Mi-24 RECONFIGURED in the late 1980s.”

The armament of our Air Force with Mi-24/28 helicopters, which were recognized as obsolete by the Soviet Government, pleases only the Americans! It turns out that the presidential decrees on providing our Army with the most modern high-tech weapons are for a beautiful word? It seemed to me that after the first catastrophes, especially at the air show in full view of the audience, the Mi-28 would be taken out of service and again restored in the Black Shark series. Alas, instead, they show on TV how the deputy. Minister Yu. Borisov pompously signs a contract for 100 Mi-28NM, which differs from the clumsy Mi-28N in that it has removed the restrictions on the power of the VK-2500 engines from 2200l.s to 2400l.s, and even added the second helicopter control, which should have been from the very first copy.

In addition, V.V. Putin himself admired the “Black Shark” at one time: “And he said briefly: “This is a technique - it takes your breath away!” Almost immediately after returning from Vladivostok, the head of government announced on Russian radio that the first serial production helicopter of the Kamov company of the Arsenyev aviation construction company Progress would be sent to Chechnya.

The real owner of the word: “The word - gave; I took the word, ”and then I completely forgot!

Army test pilots to check the Ka-50 helicopters in combat conditions for the Chechen war, they were forced to go on their own. Despite the difficulties they encountered along the way, the whole group flew to Chechnya, where the Ka-50 showed its unique fighting qualities!

The Mi-28N were sent to Syria on their official duty, where during the two years of the war they showed their worst side: two Mi-28N crashes and one Mi-24 crash for non-combat reasons, killing four high-class pilots.