Free Republic

Russia's Air Forces to Buy Dozens of Black Sharks, Alligators Russia is planning to purchase several dozens of the Ka-50 Black Shark and Ka-52 Alligator helicopters to boost operations of special forces, the ITAR-TASS news agency said Wednesday. Series manufacture for Ka-50/52 helicopters resumed at a plant in Arsenyev last year after a lengthy downtime. Choppers of the Kamov design and construction bureau lost a tender to the Mi-28N of Milay design bureau to develop the main helicopter for Russian air forces. Kamov, however, has been chosen to construct choppers for Russian special forces. A Ka-50 and a Ka-52 are...

Russia Commits to Multi-Year Buy of 67 Mi-28 Attack Helicopters Posted 20-Jul-2006 05:52 The Mi-28A "Havoc" first appeared at the Paris Air Show in 1989, but was never produced in numbers due competition from the Ka-50 "Black Shark" and Russia's financial situation in the aftermath of communism. An improved Mi-28N (see also Rostvertol profile) with full day/night capabilities was introduced as a prototype in 1996, but the Mi-28N would wait until 2004 for the first flight by an improved second prototype, and only began flight testing with the Russian Air Force in June 2005. Defense-Aerospace relays a July 18 Rostvertol...

Turkey shortlists Rooivalk attack chopper Cape Town – It is an awe-inspiring sight, watching a nine-ton attack helicopter perform a loop and barrel rolls – the aeronautical equivalent of Luciano Pavarotti performing a perfect pike on the diving board. But this is exactly what Denel Aviation‘s CSH-2 Rooivalk attack helicopter can do – although that is not part of its operational flying capabilities. The Rooivalk was designed to fly in all weather conditions day or night at extremely low level, sometimes at an altitude of 10m, to avoid being detected. Developed in the 1990s, the Rooivalk (“Red Hawk”) is used...