Kamov Ka-50 NATO Code: Hokum

The Kamov Ka-50 Black Shark (NATO reporting name: “Hokum A”) is a single-seat Russian attack helicopter with the distinctive coaxial rotor system of the Kamov design bureau. It was designed in the 1980s and adopted for service in the Russian army in 1995. It is currently manufactured by the Progress company of Arseniev.

During the late-1990s, Kamov and Israeli Air Industries developed a tandem-seat cockpit version, the Kamov Ka-50-2 Erdogan (Turkish for “Born Warrior”), to compete in Turkey’s attack helicopter competition. Kamov later designed another two-seat variant, the Kamov Ka-52 Alligator (NATO reporting name: “Hokum B”