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-defense 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 ('modernized') 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.