Indian Defense
Why Would China Want Russian Attack Helicopters For New Amphibious Warships?
The Ka-52K is a derivative of the Ka-52, which is in service with Russian military
Over the last week, news organisations covering China reported that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) was considering buying up to 36 Ka-52K attack helicopters from Russia.
The helicopters would be deployed off the Type-075 class of landing helicopter dock (LHD), a category of ships that can deploy helicopters and land vehicles. The PLAN has so far launched three Type-075 class warships. These vessels are believed to displace over 40,000 tonnes, making them among the largest amphibious warships outside of the US Navy. They can deploy helicopters to carry troops and cargo and also carry tanks and other vehicles for beach assaults.
On Monday, The South China Morning Post quoted Zhou Chenming, a researcher, as saying, “The People’s Liberation Army has studied the possibility of buying Russian Ka-52Ks for quite a long time. The Type 075 landing helicopter dock needs a heavy attack helicopter.” Zhou is an expert with the Yuan Wang military science and technology institute in Beijing. “The Ka-52K is the Russian Navy’s first ship-borne attack helicopter with folding blades and wings with higher take-off weights, which can save space and fulfil the needs of the PLA’s Type 075 LHD,” Zhou explained.
The publication quoted a source as saying China could not produce a “heavy armed helicopter” to meet the needs of the Type-075.
The Ka-52K is a derivative of the Ka-52 attack helicopter, which is in service with the Russian military. The Ka-52 and Ka-52K use the characteristic ‘coaxial’ rotor design of the Kamov helicopter family, with two sets of rotors, one on top of the other; such helicopters typically lack a tail rotor found on most other helicopters.
Helicopters with coaxial rotors are considered more agile and have improved payload carriage capacity for the same weight. The Ka-52K was unveiled to the public in 2015; the Russian defence ministry ordered 32 helicopters of the type that year. The Ka-52K differs from its land-based counterpart in having a more powerful radar that allows it to detect targets up to 200km away, enabling it to fire heavy anti-ship missiles, which have a range of over 100km. This is a capability not found on other attack helicopters, which can carry only short-range missiles to attack ships.
Heavier And Deadlier Missiles
The Ka-52K retains the Ka-52’s capability to carry anti-tank missiles and has a 30mm gun to destroy lightly armoured targets on the ground or in the air. The capability to carry both long-range anti-ship missiles and shorter-range anti-tank weapons would make the Ka-52K an asset in the event of conflict with Taiwan, which has a sizeable navy and land-based defences to deter a Chinese invasion.
The Ka-52K is significantly heavier than China’s indigenous Z-10 helicopter, which has a maximum take-off weight of around 7 tonnes. As the Ka-52K weighs around 12 tonnes, it can carry a heavier payload of weapons and also more armour to protect the crew from enemy fire. Both the Ka-52K and Z-10 are twin-engine helicopters.
More Powerful Engines
However, the early variants of the Z-10 were believed to be incapable of carrying a heavy weapons load due to the poor performance of their WZ-9 engines. Media reports claimed the inadequate engine performance was one of the reasons why Pakistan rejected the Z-10 in favour of the Turkish-built T-129 attack helicopter. The WZ-9 engine is believed to have a power output of 1,300HP, nearly half the 2,500HP capacity of the Klimov VK-2500 engines that power the Ka-52K.
India, A Prospective Customer?
Interestingly, ever since the Ka-52K project was announced, Russian officials have said the Indian Navy was a prospective customer.
Kamov chief designer Sergei Mikheyev said in August 2014, “Upon request from the Indian Navy, we are ready to supply jointly with Russian Helicopters the necessary number of seaborne helicopters and offer the latest developments to the Indian side, including the Ka-52K helicopters.”
Indian Defense
INS Arihant’s Nuke-Capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile ‘Ready To Roll’
The solid-fuelled K-4 missile is being developed by DRDO to arm the country’s nuclear-powered submarines in the shape of INS Arihant and its under-development sister vessels. INS Arihant, which became fully operational in November 2018 to complete India’s nuclear triad, is currently armed with the much shorter K-15 missiles with a 750 km range.
“The K-4 is now virtually ready for its serial production to kick-off. The two tests have demonstrated its capability to emerge straight from underwater and undertake its parabolic trajectory,” said a source.
India has the land-based Agni missiles, with the over 5,000-km Agni-V inter-continental ballistic missile now in the process of being inducted, and fighter jets jury-rigged to deliver nuclear weapons. But INS Arihant gives the country’s deterrence posture much more credibility because nuclear-powered submarines armed with nuclear-tipped missiles are considered the most secure, survivable and potent platforms for retaliatory strikes.
Once the K-4 missiles are inducted, they will help India narrow the gap with countries like the US, Russia and China, which have over 5,000-km range SLBMs. The K-4 missiles are to be followed by the K-5 and K-6 missiles in the 5,000-6,000 km range class.
The 6,000-ton INS Arihant, which is propelled by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor at its core, in turn, is to be followed by INS Arighat, which was launched in 2017. The next generation of nuclear submarines, currently called S-4 and S-4*, will be much larger in size.
Indian Defense
After Upgradation, Sukhoi Su-30MKI Indigenisation To Reach 78%
India has received clearance to upgrade 84 Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets, which will result in 78% indigenization after the upgrade
In a significant step towards bolstering its military might with indigenously developed technology, India is poised to witness its Russian-origin Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets evolve into a domestic platform. Speaking at a recent lecture.
The upgrade program is being led by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in partnership with the Indian Air Force and other partners. The upgrade is expected to cost US$7.5 billion.
This initiative is a part of a larger effort by the Indian Air Force to modernize its ageing fleet. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari asserted the critical role of an offensive air force as demonstrated in current global conflicts and emphasized India’s move towards an indigenized arsenal. To this end, the IAF has been proactive, from upgrading its Mirage 2000 to enhancing its MiG-29 fleet.
In summary, the IAF’s commitment to updating their combat forces with the latest technology, including shifting to fifth-generation fighter jets, ensures operational preparedness and a strong deterrence capability. The gradual indigenization of its air fleet marks a pivotal shift in India’s defence landscape, reducing dependency on foreign imports and fostering technological sovereignty.
Indian Defense
Akash Weapon System Exports For The Armenian Armed Forces Gathers Pace
According to unconfirmed reports, Armenia is a top contender for an export order for Akash SAM system manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).
The Akash export version will also be slightly different from the one inducted by the armed forces. The 100-km range air-to-air Astra missiles, now entering production after successful trials from Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, also have “good export potential”, said sources.
Akash is a “tried, tested and successfully inducted systems”. Indian armed forces have ordered Akash systems worth Rs 24,000 crore over the years, and MoD inked a contract in Mar 2023 of over Rs 9,100 crores for improved Akash Weapon System
BDL is a government enterprise under the Ministry of Defence that was established in 1970. BDL manufactures surface-to-air missiles and delivers them to the Indian Army. BDL also offers its products for export.
Akash Weapon System
The AWS is a Short Range Surface to Air Missile (SRSAM) Air Defence System, indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). In order to meet aerial threats, two additional Regiments of AWS with Upgradation are being procured for Indian Army for the Northern borders. Improved AWS has Seeker Technology, Reduced Foot Print, 360° Engagement Capability and improved environmental parameters.
The project will give a boost to the Indian missile manufacturing industry in particular and the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem as a whole. The project has overall indigenous content of 82% which will be increased to 93% by 2026-27.
The induction of the improved AWS into the Indian Army will increase India’s self-reliance in Short Range Missile capability. This project will play a role in boosting the overall economy by avoiding outgo of precious foreign exchange to other countries, increasing employment avenues in India and encouraging Indian MSMEs through components manufacturing. Around 60% of the project cost will be awarded to the private industry, including MSMEs, in maintaining the supply chain of the weapon system, thereby creating large scale of direct and indirect employment.
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