China to procure 36 Ka-52K Katran helicopters from Russia

[Zarvan]

China to procure 36 Ka-52K Katran helicopters from Russia

By
Dorian Archus
-
September 20, 2021


Photo courtesy of Daniil Popov/Russianplanes.net

The military delegation of China and a Russian arms export company signed a contract for naval aviation armaments during last month’s Russian Army 2021 Technology Forum.

The Chinese side will import 36 Ka-52K Katran or Ka-52M heavy-armed helicopters from Russia for $20 million each, which will directly equip the Chinese Navy’s amphibious ships, according to Hong Kong Phoenix TV.

This news comes on the heels of a rare double visit by China’s CCTV and Phoenix TV to the Ka-52 helicopter manufacturer last week, which was credited with the signing of a large order for Ka-52 helicopters to equip China’s Type 075 aviation amphibious assault ships (LHD). According to reports, the Type 075 LHD can accommodate up to 30 helicopter gunships and allows for the simultaneous takeoff of six of them.

Photo Courtesy Of Oleg Podkladov/Russianplanes.net

The Ka-52K Katran attack helicopter is a ship-based variant of the Ka-52 gunship. In comparison to the Ka-52, the Ka-52K features foldable main rotor blades and short wings. Additionally, the helicopter’s landing gear is reinforced, and it is capable of firing anti-ship missiles as well as a variety of other missiles and unguided air-launched weapons.

On the other hand, the Ka-52M is the Ka-52’s most recent upgrade. The Ka-52M helicopter now features more powerful heating elements on the main rotor blades, enabling it to operate in a range of temperature environments, including the Arctic. The Ka-52M features larger load-bearing and wear-resistant wheels, as well as enhanced protection against improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Additionally, the Ka-52M helicopter’s cockpit has been upgraded to meet modern ergonomic requirements.

Check out Naval Library App to find out the specifications of Russian naval aviation assets.


China to procure 36 Ka-52K Katran helicopters from Russia - Naval Post- Naval News and Information

 

[Deino]

I must admit I'm still most sceptical since I haven't heard about this deal from any official source and "according to Hong Kong Phoenix TV" does not sound very reliable!


But why was this deal not mentioned by any official Russian site? Usually they go up "Party like a Russian" in such cases:

 

[Keysersoze]

China to procure 36 Ka-52K Katran helicopters from Russia
By
Dorian Archus
-
September 20, 2021
Photo courtesy of Daniil Popov/Russianplanes.net

The military delegation of China and a Russian arms export company signed a contract for naval aviation armaments during last month’s Russian Army 2021 Technology Forum.

The Chinese side will import 36 Ka-52K Katran or Ka-52M heavy-armed helicopters from Russia for $20 million each, which will directly equip the Chinese Navy’s amphibious ships, according to Hong Kong Phoenix TV.

This news comes on the heels of a rare double visit by China’s CCTV and Phoenix TV to the Ka-52 helicopter manufacturer last week, which was credited with the signing of a large order for Ka-52 helicopters to equip China’s Type 075 aviation amphibious assault ships (LHD). According to reports, the Type 075 LHD can accommodate up to 30 helicopter gunships and allows for the simultaneous takeoff of six of them.

Photo Courtesy Of Oleg Podkladov/Russianplanes.net

The Ka-52K Katran attack helicopter is a ship-based variant of the Ka-52 gunship. In comparison to the Ka-52, the Ka-52K features foldable main rotor blades and short wings. Additionally, the helicopter’s landing gear is reinforced, and it is capable of firing anti-ship missiles as well as a variety of other missiles and unguided air-launched weapons.

On the other hand, the Ka-52M is the Ka-52’s most recent upgrade. The Ka-52M helicopter now features more powerful heating elements on the main rotor blades, enabling it to operate in a range of temperature environments, including the Arctic. The Ka-52M features larger load-bearing and wear-resistant wheels, as well as enhanced protection against improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Additionally, the Ka-52M helicopter’s cockpit has been upgraded to meet modern ergonomic requirements.

Check out Naval Library App to find out the specifications of Russian naval aviation assets.


China to procure 36 Ka-52K Katran helicopters from Russia - Naval Post- Naval News and Information

I wonder how the the shortened wings affect the flight performance.

 

[FuturePAF]

I must admit I'm still most sceptical since I haven't heard about this deal from any official source and "according to Hong Kong Phoenix TV" does not sound very reliable!

Perhaps we will get clarify at the Zhuhai air show, one way or the other.

 

[IblinI]

I'm also skeptical about this, the Rus doesn't even have a specially designed naval version of Ka-52 when the only possible customer is PLAN.

 

[MH.Yang]

Hong Kong Phoenix TV? This source is unreliable.
This TV station once "bought" backfire, su57. I won't believe its news.

 

[xuxu1457]

I think we should buy 100 to use，After all, it's only $2 billion per 100.

Apache , you can also buy a few dozen to see.
After all, now that the military has money, the Chinese navy spends $28 billion a year on equipment purchases.

 

[Shabi1]

Saw a picture on Twitter couple of days back, Chinese testing KA-52. So this could be a reality. But question is does this imply KA-52 outperforms the WZ-10 in some way or they didnt have the time to do this with WZ-10, else they could have made changes to own platform.

 

[DJ_Viper]

I wonder how the the shortened wings affect the flight performance.

If anything, increased flight and more agility / AOA. Almost all of naval variants of jets and heli's have shortened wings, with the exception of F-14. It had moving wings to give it a semi delta wing shape for Mach 2+ performance and higher AOA. The only drawback back may be reduction of some payload.

 

[lcloo]

Saw a picture on Twitter couple of days back, Chinese testing KA-52. So this could be a reality. But question is does this imply KA-52 outperforms the WZ-10 in some way or they didnt have the time to do this with WZ-10, else they could have made changes to own platform.

They are of different weight class. It is like the difference between a Eurocopter AS-365 Dauphin helicopter and a S-61 Sea King, or a pick-up and a lorry.

 

[Bilal.]

Would make sense for the upcoming type 075.

 

[SQ8]

If anything, increased flight and more agility / AOA. Almost all of naval variants of jets and heli's have shortened wings, with the exception of F-14. It had moving wings to give it a semi delta wing shape for Mach 2+ performance and higher AOA. The only drawback back may be reduction of some payload.

I don’t believe that is the reason for shortened wings - if anything its the opposite. The proposed Naval F-16 had a larger wing area, so does the Su-33 and the F-35C has the largest wing area of the three variants. Shortened wings for fixed wing aircraft mean lower lift that would require higher speeds at landing - completely opposite to what you want to achieve trying to hit an area the size if a football field that is rolling and pitching.

The “shortened” wing has more to do with onboard storage than focus on agility. Aircraft get folding wings and helicopters folding blades that can go flush with the fuselage.

 

[DJ_Viper]

I don’t believe that is the reason for shortened wings - if anything its the opposite. The proposed Naval F-16 had a larger wing area, so does the Su-33 and the F-35C has the largest wing area of the three variants. Shortened wings for fixed wing aircraft mean lower lift that would require higher speeds at landing - completely opposite to what you want to achieve trying to hit an area the size if a football field that is rolling and pitching.

The “shortened” wing has more to do with onboard storage than focus on agility. Aircraft get folding wings and helicopters folding blades that can go flush with the fuselage.

The bold above, storage, is the reason why the wing span is reduced. I guess I should've made that point clearer. -16 never had a naval role whether one pitched it for it or not, just like -18 never had a real role with the air force while the Canadians and some others use it as their top tier fighter.

 

[SQ8]

The bold above, storage, is the reason why the wing span is reduced. I guess I should've made that point clearer. -16 never had a naval role whether one pitched it for it or not, just like -18 never had a real role with the air force while the Canadians and some others use it as their top tier fighter.

Only for the chopper version - otherwise the general trend is to have a larger wing area.
“Making the necessary changes to allow the F-16 to operate at sea meant the V-1600 had a three-foot greater wingspan and was almost three feet longer than an F-16A. The structural and other changes added nearly 3,000 pounds to the empty weight of the aircraft, and increased the maximum takeoff weight over the F-16A’s by 10,000 pounds, from 35,400 to 44,421 pounds.”
https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/v-1600-the-carrier-capable-f-16-that-wasnt/

Reducing aircraft size for storage has many approaches including everything from folding wings to tails for fixed wings. The F-14s swing wings fold was a secondary benefit from the early 60s obsession with variable geometry wings and their benefits of allowing both slow speed handling and good transonic & supersonic performance.

The SH-60 folds its tail, so did variants of the sea king. The osprey twists the wings on its axis.
Here they have folding rotors for the Alligator K variant and decided to shorten wings to fit more on the Mistral class(for which it was originally intended).

 

[Abid123]

«The Chinese side will import 36 Ka-52K Katran or Ka-52M heavy-armed helicopters from Russia for $20 million each».

Only $20 million per helicopter. This is such a good deal. The KA-52 is among the best Attack Helicopters in the world. Arguably among the top 3 best in the world. We signed a deal for 30 T129 ATAK for $1.5 billion. That’s $50 million for each helicopter. Dont Get me wrong. The T129 ATAK is a good Attack Helicopter dont get me wrong, but $50 million for each helicopter.... Not worth it. Let alone the fact that we are not receiving them due to the Engine being American origin

Pakistan could have bought 75 KA-52 Attack Helicopters for just $1.5 billion.