MOSCOW. Sept 25 (Interfax-AVN) - The Kamov company is working out projects of new deck helicopters, a source in the company's management told Interfax-Military News Agency on Wednesday.
"The possibility of creating a helicopter on the basis of the KA-60 Kasatka and another project which is too early to elaborate on are under consideration," the source said.
"The Navy needs to renew its deck aviation already in the near future. In particular, the Russian Navy needs deck helicopters, as there are only a few aircraft-carrying vessels at present, and the program of building a series of frigates of a new project requires the construction of a sufficient number of deck helicopters to be carried by the frigates. In addition, Russia is planning to build a series of corvettes, and some of them may carry deck helicopters, too," Kamov Deputy Constructor General Veniamin Kasyanikov told Interfax-AVN.
According to him, the Navy command should decide what helicopters will be needed by the Navy for basing on future vessels, taking into account the new military doctrine and potential capabilities of the national economy.
Kamov Deputy Constructor General Nikolai Yemelyanov told Interfax-AVN that in addition to working out deck helicopter projects, his company was focusing on the modernization of KA-27 Helix deck fighters. "This is necessary for maintaining combat readiness of the helicopters currently in service," he said.
A source in the Progress aircraft company, located in the town of Arsenyev in the Maritime territory, earlier told Interfax- AVN that the Kamov company has made a proposal to Progress on the joint elaboration of documents for the initial batch of KA-64 medium class multipurpose helicopters.
"Kamov started developing the KA-64 on the basis of the KA- 60 Kasatka helicopter in 1995 in cooperation with the Italian company Augusta. The design of the KA-64 was generally completed in 1996, but the work was suspended due to lack of finance," the source said.
Commander of the Russian naval aviation Lieutenant General Ivan Fedin has said recently that the country's deck aviation will continue to develop. "We cannot do without it," Fedin stressed.
The Russian Navy aviation now totals more than 600 aircraft. The Soviet Navy aviation operated up to 2,500 planes and helicopters.