Iran's drone attacks and remembering the first flight an odd helicopter.

Iran's drone attacks are repelled by various forces and remembering the first flight of a Soviet coaxial helo.

Apr 16, 2024

“There is no “battle line” in modern war. There are battle areas and volumes, which must nowadays be regarded as being as mobile as the forces within them.”
-Air Marshal E. Ludlow-Hewitt

Mission Briefing

Just hours after Israel, with support from the U.S. and various other countries, neutralized the last of Iran's missile and drone attacks, U.S. officials elaborated on the multi-tiered defense strategy employed. This defense involved an array of fighter jets, Navy destroyers, and ground-based air defense systems that collectively thwarted what was an unprecedented aerial assault by Iran.

Iran initiated the attack by launching over 300 missiles and drones from its own territory as well as from bases in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen aimed at Israel. This formidable arsenal comprised more than 100 medium-range ballistic missiles, over 30 land-attack cruise missiles, and upwards of 170 attack drones. Israeli defense forces managed to intercept the majority of these, particularly the ballistic missiles.

During a briefing on April 14, three senior U.S. officials detailed the U.S. involvement in the counteraction. Notably, F-15E fighter jets from the 494th and 335th Fighter Squadrons, alongside Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, were responsible for shooting down more than 70 drones. The naval contributions included the guided-missile destroyers USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) and USS Carney (DDG-64), which intercepted between four and six ballistic missiles. Additionally, a U.S. Army Patriot missile battery near Erbil, Iraq, neutralized one ballistic missile.

Anticipating the attack, U.S. Central Command and U.S. European Command had already bolstered the region's defenses, including the deployment of an additional guided-missile destroyer sanctioned by the President on April 10. High-level defense and administration officials categorized the Iranian offensive as being at the "higher end" of expected threats.

While Israeli officials were sparing with details, they did release footage showing F-35I, F-15E, and F-16 jets, along with their crews, returning from successful air defense missions early on April 14. These aircraft managed to eliminate the remaining Iranian drones before they could breach Israeli airspace, according to a spokesman from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Thanks to these combined defensive operations, only about 1% of the Iranian missiles managed to penetrate the defenses, causing minor damage to the infrastructure at Nevatim Air Base located in the remote Negev Desert, as per the IDF spokesperson.

In response to the crisis, British Defense Secretary Grant Schapps announced via social media that the UK had deployed additional Royal Air Force units to the region, which effectively intercepted and eliminated several one-way attack drones. Similarly, a senior administration official noted that the French military also played a role, though specific details remain undisclosed.

Additionally, the Jordanian government confirmed on April 14 that it engaged and neutralized some of the drones and missiles as they attempted to cross into Jordanian territory, acting in self-defense.

This week in aviation history

14 April 1953: Aviation history was made when Dmitry Konstantinovich Efremov, chief test pilot for the Kamov Design Bureau, took to the skies in the prototype Kamov Ka-15 helicopter. This groundbreaking single-engine, two-place, light helicopter featured a revolutionary coaxial rotor system that would go on to influence helicopter design for decades to come.

The Ka-15's innovative coaxial rotor system consisted of two fully-articulated, three-bladed, contra-rotating rotors. By placing one rotor above the other, with the drive shaft for the upper rotor inside the hollow drive shaft of the lower, the torque effect of each rotor was counteracted. This ingenious design eliminated the need for an anti-torque rotor (tail rotor), which typically consumes up to 30% of a helicopter's engine power. As a result, all of the Ka-15's engine power could be used for lift and thrust, leading to improved performance compared to helicopters with traditional single main rotor/tail rotor configurations.

In addition to its torque-canceling properties, the coaxial rotor system offered another significant advantage: the dissymmetry of lift of each rotor was also canceled out. This meant that the Ka-15 had no translating tendency while in a hover and could achieve higher forward speeds due to the reduced effect of retreating blade stall. The compact size of the coaxial rotor system also made the Ka-15 well-suited for operations in confined areas or aboard ships.

Powered by a single Ivchenko AI-14V nine-cylinder radial engine, rated at 188 kilowatts (252 horsepower), the Ka-15 could carry a single passenger or an impressive 364 kilograms (802 pounds) of cargo. The helicopter's performance exceeded expectations, with a cruise speed of 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour), a maximum speed of 155 kilometers per hour (96 miles per hour), and a service ceiling of 3,500 meters (11,483 feet).

After several years of rigorous testing, the Ka-15 entered production in 1956, becoming the first mass-produced coaxial helicopter in history. Approximately 375 units were built by Aircraft Factory No. 99 in Ulan-Ude, the capital city of the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

The Ka-15's success can be attributed to the visionary work of Nikolai Ilich Kamov, who was previously known for his autogyro designs, which were first produced in 1929. Kamov's designs included the TsAGI A-7, the first armed autogyro, developed for the Central Aero-Hydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI). The Kamov Design Bureau, established on October 7, 1948, in Lyubertsy, near Moscow, Russia, would go on to produce a series of groundbreaking coaxial helicopters, building upon the success of the Ka-15.

The Kamov Ka-15 was a milestone in helicopter design, showcasing the potential of coaxial rotor systems and paving the way for future innovations in the field. Its unique design and impressive performance set it apart from its contemporaries and earned it a place in aviation history as a true pioneer.

In case you missed it

Since we’re on the topic of strange looking aircraft, here is a look at the A-12 Avenger II - the Navy’s what could have been:

Photo Outlet

Sometimes you capture a different angle of an airplane that makes it look interesting. I was at a Commemorative Air Force (CAF) fly in 2022 and got to walk around the P-63 while it was parked. Tragically just a few months later this aircraft would collide with the B-17 “Texas Raiders” with all occupants perishing. I initially wasn’t going to post this photo, but I wanted to remember those who flew and worked on these pieces of history. If you’d like to learn more about the CAF, you can visit their site here: Commemorative Air Force

Bell P-63 King Cobra on the ramp in 2022 (Tog)

Post Flight Debrief

That’s all for this week, thanks for reading! If you know a fellow aviation enthusiast that would enjoy these weekly newsletters, then please forward this along. If you’d like to directly support my efforts, check out my shop:

https://shop.pilotphotog.com/

Now you know!

-Tog

Thank you for reading Hangar Flying with Tog. This post is public so feel free to share it.