Wikipedia

Kamov Ka-26

TheKamov Ka-26(NATO reporting nameHoodlum) is a Soviet light utility helicopter withco-axial rotors.

Ka-26
A Kamov Ka-26 in flight
General information
TypeLight utility
ManufacturerKamov
StatusActive; out of production
Number built816
History
Manufactured1968–1985
Introduction date1969
First flight18 August 1965
Developed intoKamov Ka-126
Kamov Ka-226

Development

edit

The Ka-26 entered production in 1969 and 816 were built. A variant with a singleturboshaftengine is theKa-126.A twin-turboshaft–powered version is theKa-226.(All the Ka-26/126/128/226 variants are code-named by NATO as "Hoodlum" ).

Design

edit

The fuselage of the Ka-26 consists of a fixed, bubble-shaped cockpit containing the pilot and co-pilot, plus a removable, variable box available inmedevac,passenger-carrying andcrop dusterversions. The helicopter can fly with or without the box attached for flexibility.

It is powered by two 325 hp (239 kW)Vedeneyev M-14V-26radial enginesmounted in outboardnacelles.

The Ka-26 is small enough to land on a large truck bed. Thereciprocating enginesare more responsive than turboshaft engines, but require more maintenance. It runs mostly at 95% power in crop dusting with usually excesspayload,leaving little reserve power for emergencies. Due to frequent overloads, the interconnect shaft joining the two engines is prone to breakage and requires frequent inspection.

The standard instrumentation of the Ka-26, like larger naval Kamovs, may be overkill for civilian or crop dusting use. The 18-dials cockpit panel masks a part of the right-downwards view, needed to avoid telephone and power lines at low altitudes. The instrument panel may be simplified to retain the six main dials. As there is a low rotor clearance at the aircraft front, it is approached from the rear when the rotors are turning.

Due to the limitations of the Ka-26, USSR andRomaniaagreed under theComecontrade to build a single-turboshaft engine version, theKamov Ka-126,with betteraerodynamicsand range.

Operational history

edit

The Ka-26 is eminently useful for civil agricultural use, especially crop dusting. The coaxial main rotor configuration, which makes the Ka-26 small and agile, also results in a delicate airflow pattern under the helicopter, providing a thorough, yet mild distribution of chemicals onto plants. The Ka-26 is often used to spray grape farms inHungary,where conventional "main rotor and tail rotor" layout helicopters would damage or up-root the vine-stocks with their powerful airflow.[citation needed]Hungarian Kamov operators claim that coaxial rotors of the Ka-26 creates an airflow which allows well-atomized pesticides to linger longer in the air, causing more of the residue to settle underneath, rather than on top of, the leaves. This results in a more efficient distribution of pesticides, as most pests and parasites do not live on the top side of foliage. Additionally, the coaxial vortex system is symmetrical, allowing the distribution of the pesticide to be more uniform, without the side currents induced by the tail rotor, making it easier to avoid contaminating adjacent non-crop areas.


In someWarsaw Pactarmies, the Ka-26 was used only in the lightparatrooporairbornerole, but not the civilian agricultural role[citation needed].In the military role, ts slow (150 km/h) cruise speed compared with the Mi-2 (220 km/h) limits effective general-purpose military use, although its shorter length (7.75 m) compared with theMil Mi-2(11.9 m) and smaller rotor diameter (13 m vs. 14.6 m) are advantageous for military operations in an urban area. Its operational range is also greater than the Mil-2.


On 30 June 2020, Moldovan police and prosecutors closed down an illegal factory producing unlicensed copies of the Ka-26. The factory had a production line with ten air frames in various stages of completion that were intended for sale to clients in former Soviet countries.[1][2]

Variants

edit
Ka-26 Hoodlum-A
One- or two-crew utility light helicopter, powered by two 325-hp (239-kW) VMK (Vedeneyev) M-14V-26radial engines.850 built.
Ka-26SS
NOTARtechnology testbed for theKa-118fitted with tail jet beams.
Ka-126 Hoodlum-B
One- or two-crew utility light helicopter, powered by one 720-shp (537-kW) OMKB "Mars" (Glushenkov) TVD-100 turboshaft engine. First flown in 1986, built and developed byIndustria Aeronautică RomânăinRomania.2 prototypes and 15 series helicopter built.
V-60
A prototype light armed escort helicopter based on the Ka-126.
Ka-128
One prototype, powered by a 722-shp (538-kW) Turbomeca Arriel 1D1 turboshaft engine.
Kamov Ka-226
Six- or seven-seat utility helicopter, powered by two 450-shp (335-kW) Rolls-Royce (Allison) 250-C20R/2 turboshaft engines.

Operators

edit
Kamov Ka-26 in aviation museum,Peenemünde,Germany
Russia
Romania
Hungary

Former operators

edit
Bulgaria
East Germany
Ka-26 in aviation museum,Riga,Latvia
Mongolia
Lithuania
Hungary
Sri Lanka

Specifications (Ka-26)

edit
The 325-hp (239-kW) VMK (Vedeneyev) M-14V-26radial engineof the Ka-26
Airfoil of a Kamov Ka-26's lower rotor blade

Data fromJane's All The World's Aircraft 1982–83[12]

General characteristics

  • Crew:1 (optionally 2)
  • Capacity:6 or 7 pax when passenger module fitted / 2 stretcher patients, 2 seated patients and medical attendant / 900 kg (1,984 lb) pax or liquid chemical / 1,065 kg (2,348 lb) dusting or with platform / 1,100 kg (2,425 lb) with slung load
  • Length:7.75 m (25 ft 5 in) fuselage
  • Width:3.64 m (11 ft 11 in) over engine pods
  • Height:4.05 m (13 ft 3 in)
  • Empty weight:1,950 kg (4,299 lb) sans passenger pod / platform / agricultural equipment
  • Gross weight:3,076 kg (6,781 lb) passenger version
2,980 kg (6,570 lb) other versions
  • Max takeoff weight:3,250 kg (7,165 lb)
  • Fuel capacity:360 kg (794 lb) with pax; 100 kg (220 lb) agricultural
  • Powerplant:2 ×Vedeneyev M-14V-269-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 242.5 kW (325.2 hp) each
  • Main rotor diameter:2 × 13 m (42 ft 8 in)

Performance

  • Maximum speed:170 km/h (110 mph, 92 kn)
  • Cruise speed:150 km/h (93 mph, 81 kn) max
90–110 km/h (56–68 mph; 49–59 kn) economical
  • Agricultural operating speed:30–115 km/h (19–71 mph; 16–62 kn)
  • Range:400 km (250 mi, 220 nmi) with 7 pax,30 minutes reserve
  • Ferry range:1,200 km (750 mi, 650 nmi) with auxiliary fuel tanks
  • Endurance:3 hours 42 minutes at 90–110 km/h (56–68 mph; 49–59 kn)
  • Service ceiling:3,000 m (9,800 ft)
  • Service ceiling one engine inoperative:500 m (1,600 ft)
  • Hover ceiling IGE:1,300 m (4,300 ft) at 3,000 kg (6,614 lb) AUW
  • Hover ceiling OGE:800 m (2,600 ft) at 3,000 kg (6,614 lb) AUW
  • Disk loading:12 kg/m2(2.5 lb/sq ft)[citation needed]
  • Power/mass:0.150 kW/kg (0.091 hp/lb)[citation needed]

See also

edit

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

References

edit
  1. ^Necșuțu, Mădălin (30 June 2020)."Moldova Shuts Down Bootleg Helicopter Factory".Balkan Insight.Retrieved29 August2020.
  2. ^Broadbent, Mike (August 2020). "Rotary Focus: Fake Ka-26s found in Moldova".Air International.Vol. 99, no. 2. p. 16.ISSN0306-5634.
  3. ^"Gazpromavia – fleet".gazpromavia.ru.Retrieved10 March2013.
  4. ^"West Copter" about us "".westcopter.ro. Archived fromthe originalon 5 June 2018.Retrieved10 March2013.
  5. ^"World Air Forces 1987 pg. 44".flightglobal.com.Retrieved10 March2013.
  6. ^"Bulgarski voennovazdushni sili Ka-26".Retrieved10 March2013.
  7. ^World Air Forces – Historical Listings Mongolia (MON)Archived2012-09-05 at theWayback Machine.worldairforces.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-27.
  8. ^"Valstybes Sienos Apsaugos TarnybaLa-26".Retrieved10 March2013.
  9. ^"World's Air Forces 1981 pg. 346".flightglobal.com.Retrieved10 March2013.
  10. ^"Magyar Légiero Ka-26".Retrieved10 March2013.
  11. ^"Kamov Ka-26 in Sri Lanka Air Force".Retrieved16 October2016.
  12. ^Taylor 1982, pp. 204–205.
edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related toKamov Ka-26.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kamov_Ka-26&oldid=1259591226"