LONDON—Russian Helicopters’ Mil Moscow design bureau has been contracted by the Russian defense ministry to work on the concept of a high-speed attack helicopter.
As part of the SBV program, announced Aug. 24 by Russian Helicopters as part of the ministry’s national Army 2017 events, Mil will spend two years refining designs for a high-speed attack helicopter. This will build on the company’s recent experience flying a highly-modified Mi-24 “Hind” attack helicopter, designated Mi-24LL PSV. It was originally developed to experiment with technologies for the company’s high-speed Russian Advanced Commercial Helicopter (Rachel).
Mi-24LL flight trials conducted in 2016 saw the aircraft attain speeds of around 219 kt. (405 km/hr.). This was slightly faster than the 216 kt. achieved by a modified Westland Lynx in 1986, which still holds the official world speed record for a conventional helicopter.
The Mi-24LL was fitted with more powerful Klimov VK-2500 engines and new-design composite rotor blades with curved tips. The aircraft has been fitted with several different wing configurations, but it is unclear which configuration it was using when it completed the high-speed flight.
At the time of the flights, senior Russian government officials were openly talking about the procurement of a fleet of high-speed attack helicopters capable of cruising at 350-360 km/hr. that could perhaps enter production during the next round of state arms purchases, set for 2018-2025.
Russian Helicopters “has developed a series of scientific and technical reserve [knowledge] for a promising high-speed helicopter,” said Andrey Boginsky, Russian Helicopters’ director general. “With the indicators and experience gained during the tests, both the Ministry of Defense and our holding believe the parameters received during the tests and the experience gained to be enough to move on to the next stage.”
It is not clear if this will lead to a new-design attack helicopter or modified derivatives of the attack helicopters already operational in the Russian inventory. The Russian Army Air Force already has three types of attack helicopters operational, including the Kamov Ka-52, Mil Mi-28 and Mi-24/35. Ka-52s also have been adapted for naval use.
Meanwhile, the general designer of Klimov, Alexey Grigoriev, described the development of a new generation of helicopter engines making greater use of additive manufacturing processes. Grigoriev also said consideration is being given to replacing the main gearbox with an electric drive similar to that tested last year on a modified Robinson R44 in the U.S. But it is not clear if Grigoriev is talking about a hybrid system using a turbine to provide electrical power for an electric motor or eliminating the engines altogether.
“The power plant no longer includes an engine and a main reducer, but a DC motor that rotates the screw directly,” he said through a translator. “We are striving to make not just an evolutionary, but a revolutionary step in the development of power plants for helicopters.”
Russia has become more reliant on the Klimov bureau for helicopter turboshafts after being cut off from Ukrainian supplier Motor Sich because of Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and its support for the insurrection in Eastern Ukraine.
