Iran to manufacture Russian Kamov helicopters under license

Kish Island, Iran: Iran is likely to manufacture over 50 Russian-designed Kamov Ka-32 helicopters under a production license, according to an Iranian aircraft industry official. The Ka-32 is a civilian version of the military Ka-27.

The Kamov Ka-27 (NATO designation 'Helix') is a military helicopter developed for the erstwhile Soviet Navy. The helicopter was developed for ferrying and anti-submarine warfare and has been used by the Russian navy since the 1970s.

"We have long been considering the Kamov helicopter manufacturer as our partner...and we are planning to sign a contract on the licensed production of at least 50 Ka-32 helicopters [in Iran]," the managing director of Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO), Majid Hedayat, said at the Iran Air Show 2008.

The Ka-32 is a 12-ton aircraft than can carry up to four tons of payload and stay in the air about four hours per sortie. It has a cruise speed of 205 kilometers an hour.

As with a lot of Russian supplied equipment there are lingering fears in the West that accessing the ability to manufacture the Ka-32 would allow Iran to easily convert them back to their original Ka-27 military configuration.

IAIO is also set to manufacture 100 advanced Tu-214 and Tu-204 airliners, with a 210-passenger capacity, jointly with Russia over the next 10 years.