The crews will have the opportunity to practice flights as close as possible to the conditions of sea rolling
The marine special vessel of the project 14400 Nikolai Kamov will become part of the Navy by the end of the year, sources told Izvestia. It is intended for the training of naval aviation helicopter crews and is symbolically named after the Soviet aircraft designer, the creator of the Ka helicopters. The marine simulator will allow pilots to train in conditions close to combat, without using aircraft carriers of the Russian fleets. Nikolay Kamov will be based in Yeysk on the Sea of Azov. There were no vessels of this class in either the Soviet or Russian Navies, experts say.
Simulator for helicopter pilots
The ship serves as a special simulator for practicing take-off and landing on the helicopter deck by naval aviation pilots, Admiral Viktor Chirkov, ex-commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, told Izvestia.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Image source: iz.ru
— It is more difficult to land on the deck than on the airfield, — said military expert Dmitry Boltenkov. — The ship was built for a long time. Now it will go to Yeysk to the Center for Training and retraining of Naval Aviation flight personnel. And it is gratifying that it was named after Kamov, who created a large family of shipboard helicopters, which is now in service with our navy.
Izvestia's help
Nikolai Kamov was born in Irkusk on September 14, 1902 and became one of the founders of the Russian helicopter industry. According to one version, it is believed that the very word "helicopter" is his invention. Nikolai Kamov consistently defended the importance of helicopter construction for the state and the viability of the coaxial propeller scheme, which became the hallmark of his Design Bureau. Today, the devices of JSC Kamov of the Russian Helicopters holding are the only coaxial helicopters in the world that are mass—produced.
Together with his colleague N.K. Skrzhinsky, in 1929, Kamov created the first Soviet gyroplane, an aircraft using a rotor freely rotating in autorotation mode to create lift. After that, at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, Kamov headed a brigade that, on the instructions of the military, was developing a two-seat A-7 gyroplane designed for reconnaissance and fire correction. In 1934, the car took to the air for the first time. The A-7 became the first combat gyroplane in the world and the first mass-produced rotary-wing aircraft in the USSR. In 1943, Kamov returned from evacuation and organized a group at the TSAGI Bureau of New Technology, in which the first helicopter of the coaxial scheme, the Ka—8, was designed on a voluntary basis. In 1948, the new Design Bureau fulfilled the first order — the ship's Ka-10 Irkutyanin helicopter. Simple in design, small-sized and maneuverable, it became a direct continuation of the Ka-8. The last car that Nikolai Ilyich managed to work on was the Ka-32 multi-purpose shipboard all-weather helicopter, which absorbed all the best from previous models.
We didn't have such vessels before, even in Soviet times. At that time, pilots were also trained, but they practiced everything on warships, he recalled.
— The ship will save us both money and time, and most importantly, the quality of work will improve. And it is specially equipped so that it can be used to test and prepare new systems," said former Chief of Naval Aviation of the Navy, Hero of Russia Major General Igor Kozhin.
The solemn ceremony
In the city of Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod region, a special marine vessel "Nikolai Kamov" was launched, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. The Ship Repair and Shipbuilding Corporation has never had experience in the construction of such ships before.
The solemn ceremony of launching a special marine vessel "Nikolai Kamov" in Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod region
Image source: Photo: Ship Repair and Shipbuilding Corporation
According to a source of Izvestia in the main command of the Navy, the newest training vessel will become part of the Russian Navy by the end of this year. After the completion of the state tests and the signing of the acceptance certificate, the naval flag will be hoisted on the ship.
During the solemn ceremony, the consecration of the ship was performed, and according to the established naval tradition, a bottle of champagne was smashed on board before launching.
The sea is agitated
"Nikolai Kamov will be based at the 859th center for combat use and retraining of flight personnel in the city of Yeysk on the Sea of Azov," said Rear Admiral Ilyas Shigapov, head of the Shipbuilding Department of the Main Command of the Russian Navy. — The ship is built with high quality. It has now been launched, and no leaks were found during the inspection. Next, the ship will be towed to the completion embankment and, as expected, in August it will be transferred to the delivery base for factory running and state tests. The training vessel will be the only one in its class. Its capabilities will be sufficient for high-quality training of naval helicopter pilots and technical personnel.
Special marine vessel of project 14400 "Nikolay Kamov" during launching in Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod region
Image source: Photo: Ship Repair and Shipbuilding Corporation
According to the rear admiral, the ship is equipped with a special device so that in calm weather it is possible to simulate the movement of the deck in conditions of sea waves. So helicopter pilots will have the opportunity to carry out takeoffs and landings as close as possible to the conditions of sea rolling.
The vessel "Nikolay Kamov" has a total displacement of less than 900 tons with a length of about 70 m, a width of more than 12 and a draft of more than two meters. The full speed is 12 knots, the cruising range is about 500 miles with two days of autonomy.
Julia Leonova
Vladimir Matveev
