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Kamov Ka-15 (Hen)

1955 COLD WAR

History of the Kamov Ka-15 (Henne)

The Kamov Ka-15 (Henne) was a two-seater light helicopter in service that originated in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Its function mimics much of what made the contemporary American Bell 47 Lightweight Utility so successful at the time.

However, unlike the Type 47's insect-like appearance, the Ka-15 has twin tails, combined twin rotor masts, a bulbous enclosed nacelle and four-point wheeled landing gear.

After its maiden flight on April 14, 1951, the helicopter entered service in 1955 and remained in use until the 1970s, when it was eventually abandoned. The total production of the Ka-15 series was 375 units.

The main feature of the design is the coaxial main rotor arrangement, with the two main rotors stacked on top of each other. The agreement was ultimately tied to Kamov's concerns, as the same system was used on other platforms, including the Ka-50 "Black Shark", Ka-52 "Crocodile" and Ka-27 series.

In a coaxial arrangement, counter-rotating blades are used to counteract the naturally occurring torque effects of a single main rotor unit, thereby eliminating the need for a traditional tail rotor.

The Ka-15 was the first mass-produced coaxial helicopter.

The base plane has two side-by-side seats. The rotor mast is mounted aft and above the cockpit/cabin. Two main landing gear legs are mounted on the "cheeks" of the fuselage, while the other two main landing gear legs protrude from the sides of the fuselage.

The tail is short and integrated into the main mass of the helicopter, while being covered by a horizontal plane, itself spanned by vertical fins.

The Ka-15 was eventually produced in three main versions, the "Ka-15" operated by the Soviet Navy and the "Ka-15M", the civilian market form used by Aeroflot.

The Ka-15M has a length of 20.5 feet, a height of 11 feet, and a rotor diameter of 32.7 feet. Propulsion is provided by an air-cooled Ivchenko AI-14V (M-14) 9-cylinder radial piston engine producing 250 hp, driving two three-blade main rotors.

Performance specs include a top speed of 93 mph, a cruising speed of 78 mph, a range of up to 240 miles, and a service ceiling just under 10,000 feet.

The "Ka-18" was an evolution of the Ka-15 series, introducing four seats behind the circular nose assembly. 120 prototypes of the Ka-18 were produced, which also served the Soviet Naval Aviation, while retaining many of the qualities of the originals.