Midland Publishing

Red Star Volume 29, Kamov-27/-32 Family

by  Yefim Gordon and Dmitriy Komissarov

Reviewed By  Charles Landrum, IPMS# 26328

MSRP: $36.95 128 pages with 274 photos in color and B&W, a softbound edition. Review copy provided by, and can be ordered directly from, Specialty Press, www.specialtypress.com, 1-800-895-4585. The Kamov Ka-27 (NATO: Helix) family of helicopters is without a doubt one of the most ungainly looking aircraft; yet it has remained the sole Soviet/Russian shipboard helicopter since replacing its predecessor, the Ka-25 (Hormone) helicopter. The Ka-27 and its predecessors, the Ka-25 and Ka-15, were born from the constraint of the smaller landing areas and helicopter hangars on Soviet warships. This resulted in the signature counter rotating rotors, which counteract torque and eliminate the need for a tail rotor on a long boom - giving this compact helicopter the look of a large bumblebee. The reason for this longevity has been the practicality of the design, its' reliability, and versatility. While it was originally designed for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and search and rescue, its' military service has expanded to include the missions of amphibious assault, special operations and airborne early warning. Kamov has also developed civil variants to include: utility/transport, geophysical survey, flying crane, police, fire fighting, SAR, and as a fire bomber. The Helix also played a response role during the Chernobyl disaster. The partnership between Midland Publishing and Yefim Gordon, aided by Dmitriy Komissarov, has developed this volume in the Red Star series devoted to the Ka-27/-32 family. What I like about the Red Star series is that is strikes a good balance between aviation enthusiasts and scale modelers who need additional detail to build an accurate replica. This book, like others in the series, is packed with nice quality photographs, some from archives and many from the authors. Most of these photos are in black and white, with 20 pages of color in the back. The photos include detailed close-ups inside and out. Also, there are three view drawings, which highlight the difference between the standard and wide-body airframes and a table that highlights the performance characteristics of the major variants. The book follows a formula now familiar to readers of the Red Star series. The book opens with a brief introductory chapter that includes the predecessor Kamov aircraft. The first chapter jumps into the development of the Ka-27. Chapter 2 discusses the military and civil variants outlined above. Chapter 3 gives the detailed look, including a description of the aircraft systems and the walkaround photographs. Chapter 4 looks at the military and civil operators of the Ka-27 family including the military, private and public sectors. I was surprised to read how a Canadian logging concern has leased several of the helicopters. The last chapter, 5, provides several accounts of the helicopter in action, from Mediterranean naval deployment to structural fire fighting in Moscow. While the book is pretty comprehensive, there are a few shortcomings that in no way detract from the overall quality of the publication, but would have been a nice addition. While there are drawings that show the differences between the Ka-27 and Ka-29, I would have liked to seen more drawings, with scrap views to highlight the differences between the military and civil variants. It would be nice if there were drawings to highlight in the major systems/features - such as the conformal fuel tanks and the flotation compartments and communication antennas. There are also no interior photographs of a standard ASW variant Helix, nor any in-hangar photos. While these are minor points, they would have increased the utility of the book as a reference. Overall, this is a very accessible format and writing style. It is nice to see some naval coverage and the book will compliment the 1/72-model kits available from Zvezda/Italeri of the Ka-27 and Ka-29. Recommended.

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