Aviation / Aerospace

Kamov Ka-15 (Hen)

Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) [ 1955 ]

The Kamov Ka-15 was introduced in 1955 but produced in fewer than 400 examples for the Soviet Union.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/31/2021 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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The Kamov Ka-15 ("Hen") was a light-class, utility-minded twin-seat helicopter originating in the Soviet Union during the Cold War period. Its function mimicked much of what made the contemporary American Bell Model 47 light utility such a success for its time. Unlike the Model 47's insect-like appearance, however, the Ka-15 sported twin-tail fins, combined twin rotor mast, a bulbous cabin with enclosed fuselage, and a four-point wheeled undercarriage.

After a first-flight on April 14th, 1951, the helicopter was introduced into service in 1955 and managed use into the 1970s before being given up for good. Total production of the Ka-15 series yielded 375 units.

The key feature of the design was the co-axial main rotor arrangement which sat the two main rotors one atop the other. The arrangement eventually became associated with the Kamov concern as this same system went on to be featured on other platforms including the Ka-50 "Black Shark", Ka-52 "Alligator", and the Ka-27 family. In the co-axial arrangement, the contra-rotating blades are used to cancel out the naturally occurring torque effect seen with single main rotor units, negating the need for a conventional tail rotor.

The Ka-15 is notable as becoming the first co-axially-equipped helicopter to be produced in quantity.

The base aircraft has seating for two in a side-by-side configuration. The rotor mast was affixed aft and above the cockpit/cabin. Two main undercarriage legs were installed at the "cheek" positions of the fuselage while the other two main legs protruded from the sides of the fuselage. The tail unit was short and integrated to the main mass of the helicopter while capped by a horizontal plane, itself straddled by vertical fins.

The Ka-15 was ultimately produced in three primary versions, the "Ka-15", operated by the Soviet Navy, the "Ka-15M", a civilian market form used by Aeroflot.

The Ka-15M was given a length of 20.5 feet, height of 11 feet, and rotor diameter of 32.7 feet. Power was served from a single Ivchenko AI-14V (M-14) 9-cylinder, air-cooled radial piston engine developing 250 horsepower driving a pair of three-bladed main rotors. Performance figures included a maximum speed of 93 miles-per-hour, a cruising speed of 78 mph, a range out to 240 miles and a service ceiling just under 10,000 feet.

The "Ka-18" was an evolution of the Ka-15 line, introducing seating for four behind a rounded nose assembly. One hundred twenty examples of the Ka-18 were produced and these also went on to serve Soviet Naval Aviation elements - retaining much of the qualities of the original.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1955

Origin

Soviet Union

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

2

Production

375
UNITS

Kamov - Soviet Union

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Soviet Union

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Transport
General transport functionality to move supplies/cargo or personnel (including wounded and VIP) over range.

✓ Commercial Aviation
Used in roles serving the commercial aviation market, ferrying both passengers and goods over range.

✓ Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

Length

20.5 ft
(6.25 m)

Width/Span

32.6 ft
(9.95 m)

Height

11.0 ft
(3.35 m)

Empty Wgt

2,205 lb
(1,000 kg)

MTOW

3,086 lb
(1,400 kg)

Wgt Diff

+882 lb
(+400 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Kamov Ka-15M production variant)

Installed: 1 x Ivchenko AI-14V radial piston engine developing 255 horsepower and driving 2 x three-bladed coaxial main rotors.

Max Speed

93 mph
(150 kph | 81 kts)

Ceiling

9,843 ft
(3,000 m | 2 mi)

Range

249 mi
(400 km | 741 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Kamov Ka-15M production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None.

Supported Types

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Ka-15 "Hen" - Base Series Name

Ka-15M - Civilian market model of the military Ka-15.

Ka-18 - Four-seat variant of the Ka-15

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