Russia To Get Kamov Helicopters For Assault Ships In 2012

The Russian Navy will begin inducting its first batch of Kamov Ka-52K attack helicopters for Mistral class amphibious assault ships in 2013. “The first serial Ka-52K will be assembled in 2013,” Kamov General Designer Sergei Mikheyev said. on Monday. “By the time the first Mistral enters service in 2014, we are ready to make as many helicopters as the Defense Ministry will order”. Prototypes of the naval version of the Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter are under construction at the Progress plant in Russia’s Far East, he added. Reportedly capable of launching anti-ship missiles, the naval variant will feature a modified version of Zhuk-A phased array radar, folding rotor blades and anti-corrosion treatment to fuselage and on-board systems. In 2011, Russia and France signed a $1.2-billion contract for two French-built Mistral class ships, including the transfer of sensitive technology. A Mistral-class ship is capable of carrying 16 helicopters, four landing vessels, 70 armored vehicles, and 450 personnel. The latter has been originally designed for the Soviet Navy and does not require design changes or modernization, making its adaptation for Mistrals less time-consuming and costly, Mikheyev said.