The Ka-50 (NATO reporting name: Hokum A) helicopter made its maiden flight 40 years ago on 17 June 1982. After undergoing extensive tests and tweaks, the helicopter was ready for full-scale production almost 10 years later. However, by then Russia had entered an economic crisis, and the money had run out. Only in 2011, almost another 20 years later, did deliveries of the redesigned Ka-52 begin to military units. The Ka-52 Hokum B has a unique co-axial rotor design, with a two-person crew seated side by side in ejection seats, and an extremely powerful weapons and self-defence suite. Along with the original Ka-52s, a ship-borne Ka-52K variant has been developed for the Russian Navy and an improved KA-52M ( modernised') version is being tested. From February 2022, Ka-52s were used by Russian forces in their invasion of Ukraine. With over 200 photographs, this book explores the history of the Ka-50 and Ka-52, their development, setbacks and successes, designs, armament and combat capabilities, presenting a holistic overview of these helicopters.

About the Author
Piotr Butowski is an aviation journalist, writer and photographer specialising in the aviation of Russia, especially the themes of aerospace industry and technology. Since 1978, he has published several thousand articles in aviation magazines all over the world, mainly in Poland, the UK, France and Germany, but also in Brazil, the US, Japan, Spain, Italy, Russia and other countries. He is author of around 15 books on Russian aviation published in Poland, the US, the UK and Hong Kong between 1985 and 1996.


Book Information
ISBN 9781802822694
Author Piotr Butowski
Format Paperback
Page Count 96
Imprint Key Publishing Ltd
Publisher Key Publishing Ltd