Kamov Ka-26
Summary
| Category | Military Helicopters |
| Origin country | 🇨🇳 Ex-USSR |
| Manufacturer | Kamov |
| First flight | 18 August 1965 |
| Year introduced | 1969 |
| Number produced | 816 units |
Technical specifications
| Version: Ka-26 | |
|---|---|
| Crew | 1 (optionally 2) |
| Operational range | 400 km (249 mi) |
| Endurance | 3 hours |
| Maximum speed | 170 km/h (106 mph) |
| Wingspan | 13 m (42.7 ft) |
| Height | 4.1 m (13.3 ft) |
| Length | 7.8 m (25.4 ft) |
| Service ceiling | 3,000 m (9,843 ft) |
| Empty weight | 1,950 kg (4,299 lbs) |
| Max. takeoff weight | 3,250 kg (7,165 lbs) |
| Powerplant | 2 x Vedeneyev M-14V-26 delivering 121 kW each |
Current operating countries
All operators
Description
The Kamov Ka-26 (NATO reporting name Hoodlum) is a Soviet light utility helicopter featuring a co-axial rotor configuration. Developed by Kamov, the helicopter entered production in 1969, with 816 units built. On 30 June 2020, Moldovan authorities shut down an illegal factory that had been manufacturing unlicensed copies of the Ka-26, where ten airframes were found in various stages of completion.
The fuselage of the Ka-26 consists of a fixed, bubble-shaped cockpit for a crew of one or two, and a removable rear module. The aircraft can operate with or without this module, which is interchangeable between medevac, passenger, and crop-dusting configurations. Power is provided by two 325 hp (239 kW) Vedeneyev M-14V-26 radial engines mounted in outboard nacelles. The helicopter has a fuselage length of 7.75 meters, a height of 4.05 meters, and a rotor diameter of 13 meters. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 3,250 kg and can carry a slung load of up to 1,100 kg.
In civil operations, the Ka-26 is utilized for agricultural crop dusting. Its coaxial main rotors generate a symmetrical downwash pattern that distributes pesticides uniformly under leaves without the disruptive side currents associated with a tail rotor, a feature utilized in Hungarian viticulture. In military service, Warsaw Pact armies deployed the Ka-26 in light paratroop and airborne roles. While its maximum cruise speed of 150 km/h is slower than the Mil Mi-2, its smaller rotor diameter, shorter fuselage length, and superior operational range compared to the Mi-2 made it suitable for urban military operations. State and military operators have included the Soviet Union (Militsiya), Bulgarian Air Force, East German People's Police, Mongolian Air Force, Lithuanian State Border Guard Service, Hungarian Air Force, and Sri Lanka Air Force.
Main Variants
- Ka-26 Hoodlum-A: A utility light helicopter powered by two 325-hp (239-kW) Vedeneyev M-14V-26 radial engines, with 850 built.
- Ka-26SS: A NOTAR technology testbed for the Ka-118 fitted with tail jet beams.
- Ka-126 Hoodlum-B: A Romanian-built utility light helicopter powered by a single 720-shp (537-kW) OMKB "Mars" TVD-100 turboshaft engine.
- V-60: A prototype light armed escort helicopter based on the Ka-126.
- Ka-128: A single prototype powered by a 722-shp (538-kW) Turbomeca Arriel 1D1 turboshaft engine.