Having assembled and prepared the machines after their delivery from the manufacturer plant and having trained flying and ground crews, CCTC in Torzhok launched flight operations on the Ka-52s early in February this year. To date, military pilots have flown new helicopters not only in daytime but also at night and under adverse weather conditions as well owing to the cutting-edge avionics suite equipping the Ka-52. It includes a gyro-stabilised electro-optical system, night vision goggles (NVG) and a radar that ensures the helicopter’s 24-hour all-weather combat capability.

To facilitate and speed up the conversion of aircrews to the Ka-52, the Dinamika scientific and technical services centre in the Moscow Region has developed the KTE-52 full-mission crew simulator, the company reported in a news release late in March. Kamov’s order for developing the simulator was landed last year. In addition to the KTE-52 simulator, the complex, allowing the full cycle of air and ground crew training, includes an automated basic ‘ground school’ system.
The KTE-52 allows training and conversion training of aircrews for the Ka-52 as far as all basic flight, navigation and weapons use tasks are concerned. It enables aircrews to hone their skills in routine operating modes and in an emergency, e.g. a materiel failure, a piloting error and foul weather.

The Progress-made simulator mock-up is a dead ringer for the real cockpit of the production helicopter in terms of internal dimensions and position of the controls, control panels, consoles, etc. The Ka-52’s real controls are used to simulate the control stations. The simulator’s visual system a six-channel projector and partial dome display complex. It provides angles of view ranging from -90 deg. to +90 deg. in azimuth and from -30 deg. to +53 deg. in elevation. To simulate night vision modes and the use of NVGs, there is a software/hardware complex comprising a computer and outside-world image generation software tailored to the peculiarities of the NVG imagery, and virtual reality (VR) goggles and a laser tracker as well. The simulator also includes an onboard acoustics simulation system.

The KTE-52 simulator was developed by Dinamika in cooperation with Kamov, which provided it with the data package, and Konstanta Design LLC, which furnished the outside-world image generator. The company has launched assembly a second Ka-52 full-mission simulator, and the Russian Army Aviation will now receive a sophisticated training aid along with advanced combat helicopters.

“Ka-52 simulators will become a key component of the programme on training pilots to fly latest combat helicopters of the Russian Air Force that took delivery of its four first production-standard aircraft in 2010”, reads Dinamika’s news release. “Progress is slated to deliver 10 more production-standard Ka-52s in 2011, with the output expected to be maintained in 2012–2013 as well. Overall, construction of 36 Ka-52 helicopters is stipulated by the contract awarded by the Russian Defence Ministry in 2009”.

Fielding of production-standard Ka-52s with a RusAF’s Chernigovka air base in the Russian Far East started in May.