If you could upgrade the Ka-50, what would you do?

[Fishbreath]

A friend and I had some conversations about this while I was teaching him the Ka-50—it's a solid helicopter, but in some ways, it shows its age, and if we had a few billion rubles to sink into it, there are definitely some things we would tweak. After discarding pie-in-the-sky stuff like a millimeter-wave radar and a full glass cockpit, we eventually narrowed it down to four features which wouldn't be too hard to fit to existing airframes. Our hypothetical Ka-50 малая модернизация has two absolute requirements:

 

1. A dual-mode IR/video targeting system to replace the Shkval sensor.

2. Vikhr support on all four hardpoints.

 

And two upgrades we would want to do if we had the budget:

1. A radar warning receiver/missile launch warning system to replace the laser warning system.

2. A stores management system which allows for selection of individual pylons (maybe use the ABRIS screen to do it digitally, or just add a push button to the current weapons control panel to cycle pylons individually).

 

After that, we'd be happy with our Ka-50MM (radar and glass cockpit being a feature for the BM); it would have significantly fewer limitations than our current Ka-50, being all-weather and capable of operating with greater safety in high-threat environments.

 

What would you do?

 

Edit: I wonder if this is something that would eventually be moddable—nothing in the MM package would really involve designing new systems, just borrowing from elsewhere (e.g. the current FLIR-like LLTV pod from the Su-25T, or re-defining the inner hardpoints as able to load Vikhrs). How much can be done with tweaking the LUA in the Ka-50 directory?

Edited August 26, 2013 by Fishbreath

[Flagrum]

I like your ideas there and although 4 pylons full of Vikhrs would be nice, I could live with the two we have.

 

Additional I would wish for a better integration of ABRIS <-> PVI-800.

 

edit: in a way I love the simplicity of the components. If you have electricity and a thumb, you can operate most of them. But from an other perspective it looks as if the russians just took some components, developed in the 70s, they had at hand and threw them in ...

 

Or to put it in other words: the components by themselfs are elegant in their simplicity. The whole cockpit with all random components is quite ugly. :o)

 

edit2: this might be just a shortcomming of the simulation, i don't know, but I would like to load the same ammo type in both belts of the cannon, like 220+240 HE or AP instead of always 220 HE + 240 AP

Edited August 26, 2013 by Flagrum

[Fishbreath]

Yeah, the ABRIS-PVI linkage could use some work, and I'd welcome it if it was done. At the same time, my friend and I tried to stick to honest capability enhancements rather than quality-of-life stuff, as nice as it would be to tighten up the navigation system a little (it already, IMO, has a bit of an edge over the A-10).

[TimeKilla]

Like your ideas buddy cant really add much you have covered almost everything i was going to say, I would love to see the KA-52 replace the KA-50 :joystick:

[bilbosmeggins]

Somewhere to balance me beer might be nice :)

[Davis0079]

a god damn cup holder......and an ashtray......best way to get bounced is to have a beer in one hand and a joint in the other.....thats why the ruskies lost the cold war....no ashtray....

 

 

 

....on a serious note...what do you need a rwr for.....if your high enough to get hit by a slammer or radar sam...your doing it wrong anyways and a rwr isnt going to save you......

 

.....the best thing that could fictionally happen to the ka-50 right now is heaters on the wing tips.......and i like the IR camera idea......

[Fishbreath]

An RWR is an information tool—less useful because helicopters aren't often targeted by radar SAMs (although modern systems certainly could), but more useful because it's a way to indicate when you may have been detected.

 

Heaters I could go for, too, but I don't frequently run into cases where I'd need them, personally.

[VincentLaw]

My top 4.

 

#1: Flip the backwards artificial horizon.

#2: Auto-trim. The helicopter should just go where I point it.

#3: countermeasure upgrade: (RWR/MWS/Auto-countermeasures)

#4: FLIR

 

If you told me I had unlimited funds then:

 

#5 Sensor fusion: countermeasure system threats show up on HUD as targets

#6 A2G radar

#7 Helmet mounted display

#8 two additional pylons with A2A capability

#9 datalink with A-10C

#10 MFCDs

#11 increase slew limits of shkval

#12 increase engine power

#13 Laser spoofing system/radar jammer

#14 active stealth

#15 nuclear capability

#16 afterburners

Edited August 26, 2013 by VincentLaw

[Flagrum]

My top 4.

 

#1: Flip the backwards artificial horizon.

#2: Auto-trim. The helicopter should just go where I point it.

#3: countermeasure upgrade: (RWR/MWS/Auto-countermeasures)

#4: FLIR

 

If you told me I had unlimited funds then:

 

#5 Sensor fusion: countermeasure system threats show up on HUD as targets

#6 A2G radar

#7 Helmet mounted display

#8 two additional pylons with A2A capability

#9 datalink with A-10C

#10 MFCDs

#11 increase slew limits of shkval

#12 increase engine power

#13 Laser spoofing system/radar jammer

#14 nuclear capability

#15 afterburners

#16 Periscope

#17 Waterproof hull, up to 300 meters

#18 Torpedo launchers

#19 Warp Drive (or any other FTL propulsion fwiw)

#20 Transporter/Beaming - beam your bomb directly to your opponent!

[XtraChrisP]

I would kill for a Night Shark. That bird would just be nasty if it could hunt in the dark. In the meantime, I have to convince my buddy to drop some LUU-2s from his hawg.

[WildBillKelsoe]

I would add more stations for 12 more viks. Then I would add 2 more guns on the pilot windshield one on each side. After that I would put a tin can opener on the front gear.

 

Lastly I would put 4 anti air IR missile pods on the stubs.

[Flagrum]

Lastly I would put 4 anti air IR missile pods on the stubs.

 

edit: deleted ... wrote crap. :o)

[horus0129]

Bullet proof glass for shkval.

This shit thing is always broken at the first hit.

[VincentLaw]

This shit thing is always broken at the first hit.

#21: Pylon mounted shkval pod. Then we can have two of them in case one breaks.

[joey45]

Better laser.

[guitarxe]

#21: Pylon mounted shkval pod. Then we can have two of them in case one breaks.

 

And put one in there facing backwards, too!

[Esac_mirmidon]

Upgrade it to a Ka-52.

[Fishbreath]

#21: Pylon mounted shkval pod. Then we can have two of them in case one breaks.

 

Funnily enough, I've taken damage severe enough to knock out the laser on one occasion and the HUD on another*, but I haven't had a Shkval failure in a long time. It's not nearly as bad as the A-10's gun.

 

* I was still able to deliver rockets accurately enough.

[schkorpio]

having an IR version of the SHKVAL would be awesome. I guess it might not be too hard to mod that in from the A-10C if you know what you are doing (which i dont lol).

 

The targets stand out very nicely in IR, so its less strain on my eyes and much quicker scouting.

 

Also a progressive zoom like the A-10C would be good too, instead of just narrow/wide.

 

and +1 to the Anti Air missiles!

 

But i guess the Ka-52 probably does all of this :)

[Slazi]

Apart from a night version, nothing. Her faults are what make her interesting to fly.

[PFunk1606688187]

Put a radar on top of the rotors where it belongs. Give it a modern RWR. Give it a proper fire and forget weapon.

[MTFDarkEagle]

Three things:

- MWS

- FLIR

- IR-missiles

[agentkgb]

For those, who vote for a new shkval/flir/laser system etc.

What about this version? :)

This thing does exist, however I suppose it stands for some kind of evaluation purposes.

 

- KGB -

[Davis0079]

the BS works for me at night just fine....use NVG, adjust shkval contrast and brightness, switch to manual fire mode.....o yes, the shark works just fine at night......

[VincentLaw]

the BS works for me at night just fine....use NVG, adjust shkval contrast and brightness, switch to manual fire mode.....o yes, the shark works just fine at night......

 

Yes, I wrote a guide for using the Shkval at night (post #3 in the linked thread) http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=103897

 

However, in real life this would be impossible without a different camera due to imaging and transmission noise which is not simulated in the DCS shkval system.