Production of the Kamov Ka-50 Hokum attack helicopter is postponed with only some helicopters built

 The Ka-50, also nicknamed the Chernaya Akula (Black Shark) was a Soviet attack helicopter. Its NATO reporting name was Hokum. The Ka-50 was planned as a rival to the Mi-28 in a competition to provide the Soviet armed forces with a new battlefield attack helicopter. Kamov opted for a single-crew layout to save weight for more armor, more powerful armament, and a greater number of advanced sensors. The first of three V-80 prototypes made its maiden flight on 17 June 1982.

 In October 1986 the Ka-50 was selected for production. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia faced military budget cuts. Production of the original Ka-50 was stopped with only around 10 of these helicopters ever built. In 2000 a pair of production Ka-50 helicopters was used during the Second Chechen War, where these gunships were basically tested by the Russian military to evaluate the type. However the original Ka-50 never reached full operational capability. Though it's two-seat version, the Ka-52 was produced in significantly larger numbers.

Unusual feature of the Ka-50 is that it is operated by a single pilot. Most other attack helicopters are operated by a crew of 2, including pilot and gunner. On the Ka-50 a single pilot performed both flying and navigation duties, as well as controlled the weapons. The workload was similar to that of a ground attack aircraft pilot. In case of emergency the pilot can escape the helicopter via a K-37 ejection seat, after the rotor blades have been explosively separated. It was another novel feature of this attack helicopter.

The core of the Ka-50's weapon system is the tube-launched Vikhr anti-tank missile, of which 16 are carried. It is capable of defeating even the most protected main battle tanks. The Ka-50's cannon has variable rates of fire and selective feed from two ammunition boxes. Survivability is enhanced by features including infra red suppression of the hot exhaust gases, layered cockpit amour and chaff/flare dispensers in wing tip pods.

Later revision of the requirement to emphasize night combat capability led to a reassessment of the Ka-50, whose production was postponed, in the light of the two-seat Mi-28's apparently greater developability for the task.

Variants

Ka-50N (Nochnoy, or night). The type first flew in 1997 and had a Forward-Looking Infra Red (FLIR) turret and mast-mounted radar.

Ka-50Sh (Shar, or sphere). It is another night attack version fitted with undernose spherical FLIR turret. The type first flew in 1997.

Ka-50-2 Erdogan export derivative with a two-seat cockpit, fitted with Israeli avionics. It has been offered to China, India and Turkey, but received no production orders. Only a mockup was completed, however it paved the way for the Ka-52.

Ka-52 Alligator (Western designation Hokum-B) is a two-seat version of the Ka-50. It has a side-by-side cockpit. This helicopter was initially proposed as a conversion trainer, day/night combat derivative and helicopter for battlefield reconnaissance. It was also proposed as a command helicopter, which would coordinate a group of gunships and its attacks. The Ka-52 features uprated TV3-117 engines and milimetric-wavelength radar. First flown in production form on 25 June 1997, the type has been adopted by the Russian military. The Ka-52 can be seen as a definitive production version of the Ka-50. By 2017 the Ru

ssian military reportedly operated 90 of these attack helicopters.