IDEX: Kamov springs a surprise

A civil helicopter – albeit one based on the military Ka-60, the Ka-62 programme was reported to be moribund last year, with development reportedly put on hold. 

This is because the aircraft had been designed for western markets and had, accordingly, used a high proportion of western parts and systems (about 60%), including its Safran Ardiden 3G engines, the supply of which were cut off by sanctions. 

In November 2022, Alexander Neradko, the head of Russian Federal Air Transport Agency, said that although the aircraft had received a limited category certification in 2021, its type certification was not going to be continued. “Currently all further work on this project is frozen due to known reasons,” he said.

But at IDEX, a Russian Helicopters spokesman said that “of course” work on the aircraft was continuing, and that the type was in production, presumably with some degree of ‘import substitution’.