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Kamov Ka-15

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The Kamov Ka-15 (NATO reporting name Hen[2]) was a Soviet two-seat utility helicopter with coaxial rotors, which first flew on 14 April 1952 at the hands of test pilot D. K. Yefremov.[citation needed] It was the world's first mass-produced coaxial helicopter. State acceptance trials were completed in 1955, and the helicopter entered production the following year at aircraft factory No. 99 in Ulan-Ude.[citation needed] It was a precursor to the Ka-18 and was fitted with the M-14 engine (helicopter version). It was primarily used for bush patrol, agricultural purposes and fishery control.

Ka-15
Kamov Ka-15
General information
TypeLight utility helicopter
National originSoviet Union
ManufacturerKamov
Number built375[1]
History
Introduction date1955
First flight14 April 1952
Retired1970s
Developed fromKamov Ka-10
VariantsKamov Ka-18

Design and development

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In 1950, after evaluating the single-seat Kamov Ka-10, Soviet Naval Aviation developed a requirement for a larger and more capable two-seat helicopter with an enclosed cabin, but keeping the coaxial rotor layout of the Ka-10.[3][4] The first prototype of the resulting design, the Kamov Ka-15, entered flight testing in early 1952.[4]

While the Ka-10 was based around an open steel tube framework, the Ka-15 had a more conventional fuselage with a steel-tube structure, with the forward fuselage covered by plywood and the aft fuselage by stressed-skin duralumin. The crew of two sat side-by-side in an enclosed, and extensively glazed cockpit, with the pilot sitting on the left side of the cockpit, and access by sliding doors on either side of the cockpit. A 255 hp (190 kW) Ivchenko AI-14V radial engine was mounted behind the cockpit, and drove the three-bladed coaxial rotors. A twin tail was mounted above the rear fuselage. The aircraft had a fixed undercarriage, with two main wheels and two castoring nosewheels, with a tailskid mounted under the rear fuselage.[5][6][7]

Operational history

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The Ka-15 entered service with Soviet Naval Aviation in about 1955, carrying out reconnaissance flights from icebreakers as well as liaison and training duties. The type was tested with a dipping sonar, but could not carry the equipment needed to be effective in an anti-submarine role.[5][8] From 1958, a civil version, the Ka-15M, entered service with Aeroflot. Roles included crop spraying, (with Kamov claiming that the Ka-15 was more efficient than the competing Mil Mi-1), patrolling power lines and pipelines, carrying airmail, and air ambulance.[9][8][10]

Variants

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Ka-15
Two-seat light utility helicopter for the Soviet Navy.
Ka-15M
Two-seat light utility helicopter. Civilian version of the Ka-15.
Ka-18
Four-seat light utility helicopter.

Operators

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  Soviet Union

Specifications (Ka-15M)

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Data from Soviet Transport Aircraft since 1945[13]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Capacity: 1 passenger / 250 kg (551 lb) cargo
  • Length: 6.26 m (20 ft 6 in)
  • Height: 3.35 m (11 ft 0 in)
  • Empty weight: 990 kg (2,183 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 1,410 kg (3,109 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Ivchenko AI-14V 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 190 kW (250 hp)
  • Main rotor diameter: 2 × 9.96 m (32 ft 8 in)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 150 km/h (93 mph, 81 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 125 km/h (78 mph, 67 kn)
  • Range: 390 km (240 mi, 210 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 3,000 m (9,800 ft)
  • Disk loading: 9 kg/m2 (1.8 lb/sq ft)
  • Power/mass: 0.14 kW/kg (0.085 hp/lb)

See also

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Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kamov Ka-15.
  1. ^ "Ка-15 – HEN". militaryrussia.ru (in Russian). 2011-03-27.
  2. ^ Gunston 1995, p. XXXI.
  3. ^ Everett-Heath 1988, p. 37.
  4. ^ a b Gunston 1995, p. 138.
  5. ^ a b Gunston 1995, pp. 138–139.
  6. ^ Everett-Heath 1988, pp. 37–38.
  7. ^ Stroud 1968, pp. 136–137.
  8. ^ a b Everett-Heath 1988, p. 38.
  9. ^ Gunston 1995, p. 139.
  10. ^ Stroud 1968, p. 139.
  11. ^ Flight International 13 July 1967, p. 65.
  12. ^ Stroud Flight International 7 October 1971, p. 580.
  13. ^ Stroud 1968, pp. 136–138.

Bibliography

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  • Everett-Heath, John (1988). Soviet Helicopters: Design, Development and Tactics (Second ed.). Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group. ISBN 0-7106-0572-2.
  • Gunston, Bill (1995). The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995. London: Osprey. ISBN 1-85532-405-9.
  • Stroud, John (1968). Soviet Transport Aircraft since 1945. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-00126-5.
  • Stroud, Michael (7 October 1971). "Military Helicopter Market". Flight International. pp. 574–581.
  • "World Helicopter Market". Flight International. 13 July 1967. pp. 57–71.
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