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Ka-22 - why the difficulties of testing did not allow the rotorcraft to get on the conveyor

Ka-22 - why the difficulties of testing did not allow the rotorcraft to get on the conveyor
The uniqueness of the Ka-22 is that it is two aircraft connected in one machine. This is a helicopter with a pair of rotors plus an aircraft with two pullers. Why did the Soviet state need such a strange apparatus?


The mid-50s were marked by the continuation of the Cold War. The USSR gradually created a nuclear shield, which included ballistic missiles. For their quick transfer to the right place, appropriate air equipment was required. We need a car that can quickly transport heavy loads and quickly load / unload them in hard-to-reach places where the plane will not land.

Ка-22 – почему сложности испытаний не дали винтокрылу встать на конвейерKa-22 could land anywhere. Photo: YouTube.com

Such an apparatus in a period of violent development of the national economy would be very useful to civilians. At that time, oil and gas exploration was actively going on: it was necessary to build towers in the taiga, bring equipment.

Competitors


Two design bureaus (Kamova and Mil) were tasked with developing a helicopter capable of moving at a speed of 350-400 km / h and having a payload capacity of 5 tons. The specified range was at least 700 km. Mil followed the beaten path and began to develop the Mi-6. Kamovtsy chose a different path, taking the Li-2 aircraft as a basis.

"Airplane-helicopter" was presented as such. Photo: YouTube.com

As a result, an interesting scheme was obtained: a car with wings, at the ends of which there is one main rotor and a pulling one. This arrangement was risky and had a bad reputation. Designers I. Bratukhin, American Platt de Page and some others failed in this field. The problem lay in wait everywhere: during the creation of the transmission, the transition from lift to flight. Even with the seemingly “simplest” element - screws, there were difficulties. When gaining 400 km / h or more, the ends of the blades rotate at supersonic speed. It must be said right away: the Mil Design Bureau managed to win the dispute over the best apparatus from the Kamovites.

Mi-6 won the competition. Photo: YouTube.com

But why was the Ka-22, which had an unusual design, not suitable for mass production?

Rotorcraft Features


The unique design of the machine allowed it to gain more speed compared to conventional helicopters. This is due to the fact that during horizontal flight the main propellers (thanks to the wings that provide the carrying capacity) are unloaded. Unofficially, the Ka-22 reached a speed of 370 km / h, which was incredible for helicopters at that time. In NATO, the device was assigned the classification code Hoop, which means "Hoop".

The engines turned out to be the weak point of the rotorcraft. Photo: YouTube.com

The control of the Ka-22 included elements of an aircraft and a helicopter. Longitudinal control was carried out by changing the angle of installation of the blades, as well as the operation of the high-rise rudder. In the transverse plan, the device was controlled using ailerons, changing the pitch of the main propellers. With an increase in speed, an automatic system developed on a hydraulic basis came into play. With its help, the power of the engines was redistributed from lifting screws to pulling ones. It is worth noting in advance that problems arose with this moment later. Technical data:

✅ wingspan, main propeller dimensions, machine length - 23,8, 22,5 and 26,97 m
✅ empty weight and with the highest load - 25,84 and 42,5 tons
✅ steam power plant GTD D-25VK 4101 kW each
✅ cruising and maximum speed - 270 and 356 km / h
✅ height - up to 4,25 km
✅ range - up to 1100 km

The crew consisted of five people. The largest commercial load reached 16,5 tons.

The luggage compartment is quite spacious. Photo: YouTube.com

Test pilots made unequivocal conclusions: it is much more difficult to control such a heavy colossus with a new aerodynamic design than a conventional helicopter or aircraft. They suggested creating a special simulator, which was done a little later.

Test



Static factory checks began back in 1957, a couple of years later, after the elimination of shortcomings, the helicopter began to be tested in free hover. In August 60, the apparatus was demonstrated to General Secretary Brezhnev and USSR Minister of Defense D. Ustinov. In July 1961, the Ka-22 took part in the parade held in Tushino. The rotorcraft attracted everyone's attention due to its unusual design. Newspapers wrote a lot about him, that such a machine shows the capabilities and power of the country.

At the parade, the Ka-22 looked impressive and unusual. Photo: YouTube.com

But the device clearly lacked speed and altitude. Again, many flaws had to be eliminated, so the car went on a full-fledged flight only in April 61st. And immediately - a failure: a piece of the blade came off the propeller. Professional pilots landed the broken helicopter with difficulty. After "parsing" they noted the appearance of a strong vibration. The designers continued to modernize the machine: they changed gearboxes, power plants, propellers.

Ka-22 in the assembly shop. Photo: YouTube.com

In September 1961, Garnaev Yu. rose to a height of 1 km and flew at a speed of 200 km / h. In October 61, a world achievement was recorded on the Ka-22: the helicopter lifted 16 thousand 485 kg to 2,557 km. In the same month, another record was set - the all-Union one: the car scored 336 km / h.

Accidents


In August 1962, "the first bell rang." During the transfer of the Ka-22 from Tashkent (the rotorcraft were assembled there) to Moscow, the helicopter, landing in the city of Dzhusaly, crashed. Seven people died on the spot - designers, testers who created and first lifted the Ka-22 into the sky, set records on it. The trouble dealt a severe blow to the design bureau team, destroyed further plans related to the improvement of the model. Based on the results of the investigation, the commission found out that the cause of the incident was the rupture of one of the control cables.

The crew consisted of 5 people. Photo: YouTube.com

In less than two years, in July 1964, another car had an accident. It began with a spontaneous right turn, after which the helicopter suddenly fell into a dive. Despite the efforts of the crew, it was not possible to get out of the aerobatic figure. During the dive, the mechanic threw off one of the glass doors, and it hit the blade, as a result, one of the engine nacelles came off, the Ka-22 began to collapse in the air.

In front of the Ka-22 are designers and testers, some of whom died in accidents. Photo: YouTube.com

Two people died, three miraculously escaped by jumping out with a parachute. The commission failed to determine the exact cause of the emergency: presumably, it was necessary to change the system of operation of the pulling screws. Although there were other options for improving the controls, increasing the strength of the engine nacelle, etc. After the incident, they outlined a plan for the next work - they wanted to use new A-6 type blades to increase thrust and takeoff weight up to 35 tons.

Results


It was difficult for the Kamovites to come to terms with defeat, but the last catastrophe, apparently, exhausted the patience of the officials and preference was given to the Mi-6. Back in the 59th he was put on the conveyor, in the 63rd he "put on a military uniform", and in the 64th he was already exported. By this time, the Ka-22 project, on which a lot of money was spent (25,5 million rubles), was closed. They lost interest in the direction of rotorcraft for a long time, and only in the 72nd year, the Mil Design Bureau proposed the Mi-30 project, which differed from the Ka-22 in turning screws. However, the developments in the design of the loser were not in vain: this Kamov machine became the basis for the Ka-34 with four gas turbine engines rotating coaxial propellers, as well as the Ka-35 with sustainer turbojet engines.

Some of the ideas implemented in the Ka-22 were embodied in the Ka-35. Photo: YouTube.com

Drawing conclusions, many designers are sure that the main disadvantage of the Ka-22 lies in the large power losses of the pulling and main propellers. Some other power units were needed. A good aircraft must have an appropriate engine, and here is a completely new and unusual scheme, and the engines are old. Four Ka-22s were produced. Of these, one pair crashed, the other stood for a long time in Tashkent at the factory, until the finished car was cut into scrap metal in the 90s.

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Photos used: https://youtube.com

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