Russia To Test High-Speed Helicopter Demonstrator In June

Russia will start flight tests of high-speed helicopter demonstrator in June.

The next stage of flight tests slated for later this year will see attempts to reach an all-time speed record of 500 km/h.

During the 2009 HeliRussia exhibition Russia unveiled a slew of high-speed helicopter designs built around the Kamov Ka-92 medium-class helicopter capable of cruising at 450 km/h and flying a distance of up to 1,500 km, Sputnik reported Monday.

Russian Helicopters then director for innovation Andrei Shibitov said that the first- Ka-92 would fly in 2018, while the designers said that with adequate financing they would be able to do this in five years.

Earlier in May, the deputy CEO for Production and Innovations at the company Russian Helicopters said that the corporation would develop a naval helicopter to replace the Ka-27 aircraft.

"The development of the advanced naval helicopter will start from its center line. It will not be a modernization, it will be a fundamentally new helicopter. The coaxial configuration [of the helicopter] will be retained (…/…) as it allows for the same deployment conditions on ships as those provided by previous vehicles — the Ka-15, Ka-25 and Ka-27," Mikheev told RIA Novosti.

He added that constructing an advanced helicopter throws up new challenges for the Russian developers working on the project.