According to Alexander Neradko, a head of the Federal Air Transport Agency, Russia will no longer certify the Ka-62 multipurpose helicopter.
“The work is suspended due to present-day conditions,” Alexander Neradko said. “Present-day conditions” is a state of russian manufacturing. Should be noted, the Ka-62 helicopter is intended to carry up to 15 passengers or 2 tons of cargo.
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“60% of the helicopter components are imported: blades, material, engine, avionics. The agreements for supply are terminated. We should reconsider everything. There is no sense to certify the Ka-62 helicopters,” the representer of JSC Kamov stated.
The Ka-60 helicopter is the base model for the development of the Ka-62 aircraft. The program started in 1984, but the first prototype Ka-60-01 aircraft flew in December 1998, and the second in 2007. In 2010 one of the prototypes crashed.
The development of the civilian version of the Ka-62 aircraft began in 1990. The Ka-62 helicopter was presented for the first time in 1995 but the aircraft began flight-testing in 2016. It had been modified for a few times during this 11 years gap. For instance, the original NPO Saturn RD-600 turboshaft engine did not comply with international standards. So it was powered by two Turbomeca Ardiden 3G turboshaft engines in 2000s. Moreover, there was the AI-9 auxiliary power unit by Motor Sich (Ukrainian aircraft engine manufacturer).
Russia called the craft “a hope of the industry”. They claimed that the Ka-62 helicopter would take 20% of the market in its class and become a guarantee of stable production of 360 units of equipment from 2018 to 2030. In fact, Brazilian company Atlas Taxi Aereo signed a contract for 7 crafts with an option for another 7 in 2012. Columbia supposedly bought 5 more in 2016.
Considering this, the “hope of the industry” will be modified again.
“Obtaining a type certificate for the Ka-62 aircraft is an important milestone for the Russian helicopter industry. Starting next year, we plan to start large-scale series production and vehicle deliveries to Russian operators,” said Rostec (Russian state-owned defense conglomerate).
Last but not least, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation started 3 criminal cases about misappropriation of 3.6 billion rubles (58.5 million dollars) of the Ka-62 helicopter development funds in 2020.
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