The latest Ka-62 multi-purpose helicopter has begun certification testing at Russian Helicopters' Russian National Helicopter Engineering Center, a part of the Rostec State Corporation. It is planned to complete testing in 2020, after which it will be on offer to customers.

Previously, all three flight models manufactured at Progress AAC in Primorsky Territory successfully completed flights as part of the preliminary test programme. In their course, the overall performance and aerodynamic characteristics were confirmed. One of the flight models made its debut in the flight programme of the MAKS-2019 Aviation and Space Salon.

Tests aimed at checking the compliance of the helicopter with the design documentation requirements and confirming the specified characteristics are carried out both on the basis of the flight test complex of the National Helicopter Center by specialists of Kamov JSC, the Ka-62 developer, and on the territory of the manufacturer AAK Progress. The certification test programme includes 480 flights.

“The helicopter meets all modern requirements and has great export potential. Oil and gas companies and other civilian organisations are interested in the aircraft. In addition, and in accordance with the agreement signed with the Primorsky Territory administration, it is planned to operate our first aircraft in Primoryes,” says Andrey Boginsky, director general of Russian Helicopters.

“The production capacities of the enterprise are designed to produce up to 45 helicopters per year, both military and civilian, so we are fully prepared to increase production volumes,” commented Yury Denisenko, managing director of Progress AAC.

The Ka-62 civil multi-purpose helicopter is designed for passenger transportation, offshore operations, emergency medical care, cargo transportation inside the cabin and on an external sling, patrolling and environmental monitoring. Due to the high height of the ceiling and the thrust-weight ratio of the engines, the Ka-62 can also carry out search and rescue and evacuation work in mountainous areas.

A helicopter with a take-off weight of up to 6.8 tons, it can carry 15 passengers at distances of up to 720 km, as well as cargo inside the cabin and on external sling. A feature of Ka-62 is the use in its design of polymer composite materials, which make up to 60 per cent by weight. This increases the speed, manoeuvrability and load capacity of the helicopter, and also reduces fuel consumption. Another distinguishing feature is the single-rotor scheme with a multi-blade tail rotor in the annular channel of the vertical tail unit, which was used on helicopters for the first time in Russia.

Ka-62 has a large passenger compartment, so its layout has an increased pitch of seats. The helicopter can perform flight and landing with one engine running. The safety of the pilot and passengers in the event of a hard landing is increased due to the energy-absorbing design of the chassis and seats.