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2019-11-14

Rostec Suggests Upgrades for SouthKorea’s Flying Cranes

At the recently concluded Seoul ADEX (Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition) 2019, Rostec State Corporation offered its partners from South Korea suggestions for the modernisation of Ka-32 multipurpose helicopter fleet. The joint exposition of Russian Helicopters and Helicopter Service Company (HSC) was organised by the South Korean company RH Focus Corp.

Ka-32 helicopters are used by South Korean state agencies for performing a wide range of tasks: from firefighting to search and rescue operations and offshore patrolling. Besides, they are used by the country's commercial services as "flying cranes" for construction and installation. The Ka-32 is indispensable in complex construction works, due to the absence of a tail rotor, its precision hover ability, great manoeuvrability and carrying capacity.

The programme for upgrading this type of helicopters was presented at RH Focus Corp’s stand. The producer suggested that avionics, engines and a firefighting system should be upgraded in rotorcrafts, which have been used in South Korea since the 1990s.

The Ka-32 upgrade programme includes equipping the helicopter with a 'glass cockpit' and more powerful VK-2500PS-02 engines. All these units were presented at the exhibition. The modernised version of the helicopter was indexed as Ka-32A11M.

"This exhibition is important for Rostec's Aviation cluster, as we start cooperation in a new format: for the first time Russian Helicopters' designs were shown on the exposition of our official dealer RH Focus Corp. We have cooperated with this company in the sphere of after-sales service, and both our firms have benefited from this. There was a good reason why the upgraded Ka-32 helicopter has been selected for our joint exposition: a fleet of these rotorcrafts in Korea is fairly large, and they have proved their efficiency in terms of transporting cargo, search and rescue operations and firefighting," said Andrey Boginsky, Director General of Russian Helicopters holding company.

He added: “Our forests are lush green, made by contribution of the Korea Forest Service (KFS) and the Russian Helicopters operated by the KFS. Most of the Russian helicopters operating including KFS in South Korea are the aged ones that have been in operation since the mid-1990s. The upgrade to apply the latest items and technologies were introduced to further improve the performances of existing helicopters, which will maximise efficiency much more economically than a new purchase.”

Latest Additions

The technical solutions in the avionics of the Ka-32A11M helicopter have already been tested on the civil multipurpose helicopters Ansat, Mi-38 and Ka-62. Along with Ka-32A11M, the holding company also showcased the medium multipurpose Mi-171A2 and the light multipurpose Ka-226T and Ansat helicopters.

HSC Managing Director Ivan Serov was the head of Russian Helicopters' delegation at the exhibition. Under his supervision, the holding company's specialists discussed maintenance and repair of Ka-32 and Mi-8/17 helicopters.

The all-weather civilian helicopter Ka-32 with coaxial rotors was developed by the Kamov Design Bureau of Russian Helicopters holding company. Serial production of Ka-32 machines is carried out by JSC Kumertau Aviation Production Enterprise.

Currently, over 240 machines have been built, which are operated in more than 30 countries all over the world. The coaxial rotor scheme provides the helicopter with a range of important stabilisation and manoeuvrability advantages, especially in relation to firefighting. The configuration of the Ka-32A11BC serial helicopter's equipment includes over 100 options.

HSC provides materials and equipment for operation of helicopters made by Russian Helicopters' enterprises. Since 2006, it has been the only authorised vendor of new aviation inventory made by the holding company's enterprises and sold to meet the needs related to after-sales service of Russian helicopters.

High-tech Solutions

State Corporation Rostec is one of the largest industrial companies in Russia. It unites more than 800 scientific and industrial organisations in 60 regions of the country. Its key areas of activity are transport engineering, electronics, medical technology, chemistry and innovative materials. Rostec holdings form three clusters: electronics, weapons and aviation. The corporation’s portfolio includes well-known brands such as AvtoVAZ, KAMAZ, Kalashnikov, Russian Helicopters, Uralvagonzavod and others.

Rostec is active in the implementation of all 12 national projects. The company is a key provider of Smart City technology, it is engaged in the digitalisation of public administration, industry and social sectors, and it is developing plans for the development of 5G wireless technologies, an Industrial Internet of Things, big data and blockchain systems. The company partners with leading world manufacturers and its products are delivered to more than 100 countries worldwide. Almost a third of the company's revenue comes from the export of high-tech products.

Reference Photo/Text:www.russianhelicopters.aero

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