Presenting the helicopter at Farnborough, Russian officials pointed out that many nations nowadays feel an acute need for lightweight reconnaissance aircraft, ones that could provide their armed forces with timely and accurate intelligence while also exercising control of sea, land, and aerial borders. And using large reconnaissance planes for these purposes may be too costly.
According to its designers, the Ka-31 helicopter can be employed in both military and civilian operations. It is intended for monitoring developments in the air, on the ground, and on the sea surface and transmitting data on specific targets to control stations based either on the ground and on board a ship. In peacetime, the aircraft can be used for monitoring sea, land, and air borders, economic zones, and water areas, as well as for controlling air traffic and carrying out search and rescue missions. This state-of-the-art helicopter can locate sea surface targets within a distance of 250 kilometers and aerial targets as far as 200 kilometers away. It can also convoy up to 40 targets.
The new Russian aircraft has no analogues in the world as of yet. It can take off from air fields, ship decks, and even not properly equipped sites any time of day and night and in any kind of weather conditions.
It will inspect some 250,000 square meters of sea surface within just one hour of flight. When monitoring airspace, it will detect enemy aviation as far as 350 kilometers away.
The Ka-31's high reconnaissance potential will substantially raise the combat efficiency of shipborne and coastal anti-aircraft installations, its designers say.
