Aviation / Aerospace

Kamov Ka-18 (Hog)

Maritime Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) [ 1957 ]

In all, over 100 examples of the Kamov Ka-18 light utility helicopter were produced for the Soviet Union during the Cold War - these serving primarily with its Navy branch.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 03/21/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

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The Kamov Ka-18 (Hog), developed from the preceding Ka-15 design, was a light-utility helicopter serving Soviet Naval Aviation during the Cold War period. The type went airborne for the first time in 1955 and managed an operational existence throughout the thick of the Cold War period until 1973 by which point the series was given up for good. About 120 of the systems were built in all and these only ever served the Soviet Union.

The Ka-15 served as the proven starting point for the newer Ka-18, resulting in an airframe that was longer while carrying a more powerful engine, this being the Ivchenko AI-14VF 9-cylinder, air-cooled radial piston engine outputting 280 horsepower. The rotor was of typical Kamov arrangement, a co-axial configuration seating one twin-bladed unit over the other, negating the need for a tail rotor to counter inherent torque effects. The rotor diameter measured 32.7 feet while the airframe itself was 23 feet long and 11 feet high.

The fuselage had an ungainly, bulbous appearance with the crew and passengers seating in 2x2 formation. The powerplant was housed in the back of the aircraft driving the overhead main rotor pair. The tail unit was a tapering assembly capped by a twin-finned horizontal plane. For ground-running, a four-point, fixed, wheeled undercarriage was fitted - this being a quality carried over from the preceding Ka-15.

Performance-wise, this light-class, four-seat helicopter was able to reach speeds of 93 miles-per-hour, cruise at 75 mph, and reach out to a range of 103 miles. Service ceiling was 10,660 feet.

By the time of the early 1970s, there were more versatile, economical alternatives to the Ka-18, hence it was retired from front-line service.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

1957

Origin

Soviet Union

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

1

Production

120
UNITS

Kamov - Soviet Union

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Soviet Union

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

✓ Close-Air Support (CAS)
Developed to operate in close proximity to active ground elements by way of a broad array of air-to-ground ordnance and munitions options.

✓ Maritime / Navy
Land-based or shipborne capability for operating over-water in various maritime-related roles while supported by allied naval surface elements.

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

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

VERTICAL TAKE-OFF / LANDING (VTOL)

Series has a tactical capability to take-off and / or land vertically, a quality commonly associated with helicopters.

CO-AXIAL MAIN ROTORS

Dual main rotors arranged in co-axial mounting, negating traditional torque-neutralizing tail rotor unit.

HIGH-SPEED PERFORMANCE

Can accelerate to higher speeds than average aircraft of its time.

HIGH-ALTITUDE PERFORMANCE

Can reach and operate at higher altitudes than average aircraft of its time.

MARITIME OPERATION

Ability to operate over ocean in addition to surviving the special rigors of the maritime environment.

ENCLOSED CREWSPACE(S)

Features partially- or wholly-enclosed crew workspaces.

Length

23.1 ft
(7.05 m)

Width/Span

32.6 ft
(9.95 m)

Height

11.0 ft
(3.35 m)

Empty Wgt

2,337 lb
(1,060 kg)

MTOW

3,263 lb
(1,480 kg)

Wgt Diff

+926 lb
(+420 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Kamov Ka-18 (Hog) production variant)

Installed: 1 x Ivchenko AI-14VF 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine developing 280 horsepower and driving 2 x three-bladed coaxial main rotors.

Max Speed

93 mph
(150 kph | 81 kts)

Cruise Speed

75 mph
(120 kph | 65 kts)

Max. Speed Diff

+19 mph
(+30 kph | 16 kts)

Ceiling

10,663 ft
(3,250 m | 2 mi)

Range

103 mi
(165 km | 306 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Kamov Ka-18 (Hog) 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-18 (Hog) - Base Series Designation.

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