Kamov Ka-27

what is it?

The Kamov Ka-27 (NATO reporting name 'Helix') is a coaxial rotor military helicopter developed for the Soviet Navy, and as of 2024 is in service in various countries including Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam, China, South Korea, and India. Variants include the Ka-29 assault transport, the Ka-28 downgraded export version, and the Ka-32 for civilian use.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 turboshaft engines · 15.8 m main rotor

base stats

• speed 270 km/htop speed
• range 980 kmwithout refuelling
• seats 16passengers
• size 12 tmax take-off weight
• built 267made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 53 years ago, in 1973.
• 🏎️Top speed is 2.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Rotor of 15.8 m: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 2 African elephants (~6 t each).

turboshaft: A turbine that turns a shaft, usually a helicopter rotor.

spec sheet

first flight

1973-12-24

introduced

1982

status

still flying

number built

267

role

helicopter

origin

🇷🇺 Soviet Union

makers

Kamov

engines

2× Isotov TV3-117V / Klimov TV3-117

crew

27

passengers

16

length

11.3 m

rotor diameter

15.8 m

height

5.5 m

max take-off weight

12 t

top speed

270 km/h

cruise speed

205 km/h

range

980 km

ceiling

5,000 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.