MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/. Pilots of Kamov Ka-52K helicopters designed for operation aboard Egyptian Mistral-class amphibious assault ships will undergo training in Russia, Chief Designer of the Kamov Design Bureau Sergei Mikheyev told TASS on Monday.
"Our main efforts are concentrated on preparing crews who will operate Ka-52Ks in Egypt. That is why, they are in Russia, working. Next year, their training is planned to be completed," Mikheyev said, adding that designers had "no questions" about Ka-52K helicopters designed for operation in the Russian Navy.
"There are no questions concerning our Ka-52K helicopters. The cruise by the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov has closed a whole number of questions and that is why everything is proceeding as normal," he stressed.
It emerged earlier that Russia had won a tender for the delivery of shipborne Ka-52K helicopters for the Egyptian Mistral-class amphibious assault ships.
The Ka-52K Katran helicopter is based on a range of shipborne rotocraft accepted by the Russian Navy for service. This range includes Ka-25, Ka-27, Ka-29 and Ka-31 helicopters.
This helicopter is designed to carry out patrol missions, provide fire support for amphibious assaults and deal with anti-amphibious assault defense on the frontline and in tactical depth.
The KA-52K differs from the baseline version by its folding stub wing specifically developed for carrying heavy armament and the mechanism of folding rotor blades allowing it to compactly fit into a ship’s compartment below the deck.
The Ka-52 shipborne version’s reduced sizes allow increasing the number of these choppers aboard a ship. The crew’s armored cabin and the catapult system allow pilots to safely leave the helicopter. The helicopter’s shipborne version also features a rescue system for people in distress at sea.