Please welcome the Kamov Ka-52K Katran—a Russian ship-borne attack helicopter with a tumultuous past and an uncertain future. Here, I will be covering a reasonably detailed history and development of the helicopter, an overview of its specifications, and its possible place in War Thunder.
History & Development
On 24 December 2010, Russia placed an order for four French Mistral-class helicopter assault ships. This marked the first time in modern history that Russia purchased equipment of this caliber from a NATO country. Earlier, in November 2009, a Mistral-class ship bearing the French flag visited St. Petersburg and hosted Ka-27, Ka-29, and Ka-52 helicopters to gauge their operational feasibility. The purchase of these Mistral-class ships was great news for Kamov, since they primarily focused on naval rotorcraft as their magnum opus (Ka-27, Ka-29). The idea of a ship-borne attack helicopter was reasonably popular, so Kamov got to work on a naval-oriented variant of its advanced two-seat Ka-52 attack helicopter, creating the Ka-52K Katran (‘mud shark’).
The Ka-52K differs only slightly from the original, land-based Ka-52; its wings are shortened (reducing its weapon pylons from six to four) and its rotors can fold backwards to reduce the width of the helicopter. For the most part, the Ka-52K uses all the same equipment that the land-based Ka-52 uses: 9M127-1 Vikhr’-1 and 9M120-1 Ataka-1 anti-tank missiles, as well as S-13-OF and S-8KO unguided rockets. Testing for Kh-35UV anti-ship missiles and Kh-38M air to ground missiles is underway, but neither are ready for use on the Ka-52K and are not integrated into the helicopter’s weapon systems suite (as of 2022). The Ka-52K is also planned to be fitted with a different radar suited better for maritime operations, but this has not yet happened.
In April 2014, the Russian Ministry of Defense placed an order for thirty-two Ka-52K helicopters, twelve of which to be delivered in 2015. However, Russian aggression in Ukraine in spring of 2014 led to the cancelation of the Mistral-class ships in September that year. Both of the ships that were under construction were transferred to Egypt instead. Unfortunately, this meant that the Ka-52K had lost its sole purpose and was now a financial void. However, JSC Russian Helicopters maintained that Ka-52K development would continue because the helicopters could be used on future Russian ships. It is likely that the earlier order for thirty-two aircraft was canceled shortly after.
The first of four pre-production Ka-52Ks made its maiden flight in Arsenyev on 7 March 2015—half a year after the cancelation of the delivery of the Mistral-class ships—and was displayed in June 2015 at the ARMY 2015 forum. All four of the pre-production models were displayed in several cases with different equipment each time; they were (and still are) being used to test technologies for the Ka-52M and Ka-52E programs. For example, the first Ka-52K was fitted with an OES-52 optoelectronic turret in August 2015, but was reverted back to the original GOES-451 turret later. Ka-52K ‘104’ was fitted with OES-52 (later reverted to GOES-451), as well as an improved ‘Pastel’ radar warning receiver and L418-5 infrared countermeasures sensors. Ka-52K ‘103’ was fitted with a new Zaslon RZ-001E Rezets AESA radar and was displayed at MAKS 2019 and 2021.
In 2016, Russia deployed its Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier—the only instance of which in the Russian Navy—to the Syrian coast. Aboard the ship were several MiG-29Ks, Su-33s, and Ka-52K ‘103’ (with its markings painted over however). Despite their status as seaborne aircraft, a majority of the missions performed by the aircraft aboard the Admiral Kuznetsov were from the Hmeimim air base in Syria. This only further deteriorated the necessity for Russian carrier-based aircraft, let alone an attack helicopter like the Ka-52K.
Luckily for Kamov, two new Project 23900 universal landing ships were laid down in Crimea and the first of which is set to be ready for service by 2028 in the Pacific Fleet. They are designed to carry up to eighteen helicopters, including Kamov’s Ka-29M and Ka-52K. Kamov is promoting the Ka-52K to Egypt, since they purchased the two Mistral-class helicopter carriers originally intended for the aircraft. Egypt has forty-six land-based Ka-52Es, which they use on the carriers anyway. China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation has also expressed interest in the Ka-52K, presenting a scale model of its own maritime assault ship design with Ka-52Ks landed on the ship’s deck.
Specifications
Engines: 2 × Klimov VK-2500 or VK-2500P rated at 1,790kW (2,400shp) each.
Principal Dimensions:
Rotor Diameter: 47ft 4in (14.43m) upper, 47ft 5in (14.46m) lower
Maximum Length (Rotors Turning): 52ft (15.862m)
Fuselage Length: 45ft 7in (13.9m)
Wingspan: 20ft 7in (6.303m)
Maximum Height: 16ft 9in (5.1m)
Undercarriage:
Type: Retractable with twin nose wheels and single main wheels
Wheel Base: 15ft 1in (4.611m)
Wheel Track: 8ft 9in (2.67m)
Weights:
Maximum Take-Off Weight: 26,896lb (12,200kg)
Maximum Weapons and Stores: 4,409lb (2,000kg)
Performance:
Maximum Level Flight Speed: 157kts (290km/h)
Cruise Speed: 135kts (250 km/h)
Service Ceiling: 17,060ft (5,200m)
OGE Hover Ceiling: 11,810ft (3,600m)
Maximum Climb Rate (@ Sea Level): 2,756ft/min (14m/s)
G Limit: 2.5 G
Practical Range: 280 miles (450km)
Ferry Range: 684 milse (1,100km)
Photos
This is the Kh-35UV anti-ship cruise missile intended for use on the Ka-52K, but it has never been integrated into the Katran’s weapon systems and therefore would not be present in-game.
You can see the Ka-52K’s loadout capabilities here.
From left to right:
- A rack of six 9M120-1 Ataka-1 anti-tank guided missiles;
- A pod of twenty S-8KO unguided rockets (on either inner pylon);
- A rack of six 9M127-1 Vikhr’-1 anti-tank guided missiles.
The big pod you see on the left wing houses measuring equipment to monitor a bunch of numbers important for testing.
You can see the rotors folded in this image. This makes the Katran’s profile compact in order to fit it on an aircraft carrier.
This Katran (c/n 35382001001) has no side number because it was the first Ka-52K produced as a Katran. The first technology demonstrators (‘061’ and ‘062’) were land-based Ka-52s converted into Ka-52Ks for testing.
Sources
My primary source of information for this post comes from Piotr Butowski’s Ka-52 Hokum book published by Key Publishing in the United Kingdom. His book was published in 2022, so the information provided is relevant to 2022 and prior.
I have also used information from the Ka-50 Wikipedia page, if only to cross-reference information in Butowski’s book.
The photos used in this post are from Google. I searched “Ka 52K” (with quotes), clicked on images, and filtered by Large and Wide in the Advanced Search pop-out. The hyperlink provided has all of the parameters set if you would like to see more images of the Katran.
In War Thunder, the Ka-52K would not be an upgrade over the regular Ka-52 we already have; in fact, it would have fewer capabilities due to the loss of its third pylons on each wing. As far as I can tell, it has not been fitted with Igla-V air-to-air missiles, which means that the air-to-air capability of the Ka-52K is severely diminished. Personally, I suggest that the Ka-52K is added as a squadron or event reward vehicle, but I will include all relevant options in the poll below for you to decide for yourself based on what you believe is best.
- Yes, please!
- No, thanks!
- Tech Tree
- Premium Gift
- Event Reward
- Squadron Reward
- N/A (I already voted against this aircraft or I have another idea that I would like to share in the comments)