LEFT PANEL

2-73: Left panel

The left panel is comprised of four primary areas that include:

1. R-800L1 command VHF radio station control

2. Targeting mode control panel

3. Engine start-up control panel

4. Radio intercom control

R-800L1 VHF Radio Control System

The R-800L1 is a VHF-2 command radio system. The radio system is turned on using the VHF-2 (“УКВ-2”) switch on the right panel. This radio can be used to communicate with other airborne units and provide reception of ADF signals.

2-74: R-800L1 radio control system

The R-800L1 is a VHF transceiver radio that can operate in both FM and AM bands and also has the ability to receive navigation beacon signals. To receive information from this radio, you will need to set the radio intercom dial to the "(СА)УКВ-2" position.

1. “КОНТРОЛЬ” (Test) lamp. If the "КОНТРОЛЬ" built-in-test (BIT) test button is held down and the radio passes the test, this lamp will light. Note that the “УКВ-1” VHF-1 R-828 radio switch and the “УКВ-2” VHF-2 R-800 radio switch on the right panel should be set to on (up).

2. “АМ-ЧМ” (AM-FM) switch. Selecting this switch allows you to toggle between AM (up) and FM (down) bands on the radio. [M + LALT + LCTRL]

3. “АП” (Emergency radio receiver) switch. When placed in the up position, this places the radio in a fixed emergency radio receiver frequency, used to receive emergency signals. In the western world, this may be viewed as a guard channel. When activated, the frequency automatically switches to 121.5 MHz and the transmitter is turned off. [E + LALT + LCTRL]

4. “АРК” (ADF) switch. When this switch is moved to the up, on position, the radio is used for automatic direction finding (ADF). The radio compass antenna is then connected to the R-800L1 radio receiver, and the receiver controls radio compass antenna direction (this in turn controls direction of the HSI RMI arrow). The HSI RMI arrow will now point in the direction of the transmitter with the frequency that is defined on the R-800L1. [A + LALT + LCTRL] A complete list of available ADF channels can be viewed in the Automatic Direction Finder (ADF) ARK-22 section of this manual.

5. Radio frequency thumb wheels. These four ridged wheels can be rotated to input frequencies. The frequency is entered in kHz in 25 kHz steps. The two left wheels indicate integer MHz values and the two right wheels indicate one-thousandths of MHz values.

 Rotary 1 up [1 + LCTRL + LSHIFT]

 Rotary 1 down [1 + LALT + LCTRL]

 Rotary 2 up [2 + LCTRL + LSHIFT]

 Rotary 2 down [2 + LALT + LCTRL]

 Rotary 3 up [3 + LCTRL + LSHIFT]

 Rotary 3 down [3 + LALT + LCTRL]

 Rotary 4 up [4 + LCTRL + LSHIFT]

 Rotary 4 down [4 + LALT + LCTRL]

6. “100-50” switch. This switch controls data transfer rate [5 + LCTRL + LALT].

7. “КОНТРОЛЬ” (BIT) button. Pressing this button performs radio system self-diagnostics. If self-diagnostics passes, the “КОНТРОЛЬ” indicator test lamp will light. [T + LCTRL + LSHIFT]

8. “ПШ” (Noise reduction) switch. Placing this switch in the up position activates the noise reduction system (squelch). This reduces volume if the inputted frequency is not detected. [R + LALT + LCTRL]

9. Selected frequency display. These two fields combine to show the inputted frequency as determined by the thumb wheels.

When flying in the region of Maikop City, you can set the radio to AM mode with a frequency of 125675. If you are within a 70 km radius of the radio tower at Maykop airdrome, you will here broadcasts from “Radio Mayak”. If you are not a fan of their top 40 list, you can replace it with your own audio files: \\Sounds\Samples\RadioMayak folder The files will need to be in OGG or WAV format.

Targeting Mode Control Panel

2-75: Targeting mode control panel The targeting mode control panel is your primary means of manipulating the Ka-50 as an integrated weapon system. From this panel you can control aspects of the sensors, weapons, and laser. If you have a programmable joystick, you may find it useful to map some of these functions to your stick. In the heat of battle, taking your hand off the stick to activate a targeting mode may get you killed.

1. “ППС” (Head-on airborne target) button. Pressing this button will adjust the fuze of the Vikhr ATGMs onboard to use a proximity fuze suited to attacking airborne targets in the forward hemisphere (high aspect). [S + LALT]

2. “АДВ” (Automatic turn on target) button. If you have a target designated with the Shkval and press this button, the aircraft will automatically point its nose towards the target. This is a useful function when you have locked a target far off the weapon system boresight. [Q]

3. “ТРЕНАЖ – ОТКЛ” (Training mode – OFF) switch. Placing this switch in the up "ТРЕНАЖ” (Training mode) position places the weapon system in training mode and it will not allow a weapon to be released. However, full weapon aiming and target locking is allowed. When in the lower “ОТКЛ” (OFF) position, the system is taken out of training mode.

4. “ВЦ” (Airborne target) button. When targeting an aircraft with Vikhr and the aspect is changing or is other than high-aspect, press this button to set the missile to use a general proximity fuse. With a proximity fuze, the warhead will detonate when it is close to the target and does not require a direct hit. [V]

5. “К-041 – ОТКЛ” (K-041 Targeting and Navigation systems power – OFF) switch. When this switch is in the up position, power is sent to the K-041

targeting and navigation systems and the Shkval display will activate. This system is turned off by setting the switch to the down position. [D + LSHIFT]

6. “ОБЗ – ОТКЛ” (Helmet-Mounted Sight (HMS) / night vision goggle system power – OFF) switch. This switch allows you to either enable the HMS or NVG systems. These can be interchanged when you are on the ground and in radio contact with the ground crew. Returning the switch to the down position turns them off. [H]

7. “НПЦ” (Moving ground target mode) button. If the Shkval is tracking a moving target and you press this button prior to launching a Vikhr ATGM, the weapon control system will adjust the Vikhr launch parameters to account for a moving target and thereby increase accuracy. The targeting system will also calculate lead for gun and rockets employment. [N]

8. “ОСН РЕЖ” Weapon system mode selector dial can be rotated left [F + LCTRL] and right. [F + LALT] This five position dial allows you to adjust the fire control system. These positions are:

o “ППУ” (Moving canon – automatic weapons mode) allows the cannon to be slaved to the Shkval line of sight. The ATGMs launchers will adjust their vertical angle automatically. This is the primary automatic mode and all functions are calculated using a full set of weapon data for employment.

o “НПУ” (Fixed cannon) fixes the cannon boresight along the zero sight line of the aircraft fuselage. This is generally used in case of a cannon-drive malfunction.

o “РУ” (Backup/manual mode) can be used as a backup/manual mode for weapon employment. In this mode, range and lead are not calculated, the gun is fixed, the ATGMs launchers do not adjust their vertical angle, the Shkval tracking gate does not adjust automatically, and there is no memory mode target tracking.

o “РЗН” (Backup navigation tasks on the combat computer) mode can be used to update the aircraft‟s inertial navigation unit (INU). This is a less capable of way of updating navigation but both the navigation and weapon computers can partially replace each other.

o “РЗБ” (Backup combat tasks on the navigation computer) mode. In case of a combat computer malfunction, you can select this mode to route combat tasks to the navigation computer with limited functionality.

9. “ИЗЛ – ОТКЛ” (Laser standby – OFF) switch. Place this switch in the up position to arm the laser. Note that to get accurate targeting range and be able to designate for the Vikhr ATGM, the laser must be active. [O + RSHIFT]

10. “СБРОС” (Targeting mode reset) button. To the cease targeting and return the HUD to the navigation mode, press this button. [BACKSPACE]

11. “АС – ПМ” (Automatic tracking – gun sight) automatic tracking/targeting without Shkval system with manual laser sight ranging. Without laser ranging, the gun reticle is adjusted to a fixed range of 1100 m. [P]

Engine and APU Start-Up Controls

2-76: Engine start-up controls

This panel provides you the controls to start either engine or the APU. To start an engine though, several conditions must be met:

 APU running (see APU section below and the steps needed to start the APU)

 Left/right engine fuel shutoff values to open

 Left/right engine cutoff levers to the up position

 Rotor brake to the down position

 Engine / APU select switch to either engine 1 or engine 2

 Press engine start button

 Monitor engine RPM and temperature

The engine start-up panel has the following functions:

1. “ЗАПУСК” (Start) engine/APU start button. Assuming all start-up conditions are met, pressing this button will start either the APU or one of the engines, depending on the position of the engine selector switch. [HOME]

2. “ЗАПУСК – ПРОКРУТКА – ЛОЖНЫЙ ЗАПУСК” (Start up – crank – false start) start-up mode selector. This is a three position selector that determines the method of start-up ignition. The most often used mode will be the top “ЗАПУСК” (start) setting. The middle “ПРОКРУТКА” (crank) position is used to purge fuel after a failed start and the bottom “ЛОЖНЫЙ ЗАПУСК” (false start) setting is used for start-up check procedure during ground maintenance. [E + LALT]

3. “КЛАПАН ЗАПУСКА” (APU air bleed valve) lamp. Indicates when lit that the APU air bleed valve is working during the engine start-up cycle.

4. “СТОП ЗАПУСК” (interrupt start-up sequence) button. If during an engine start cycle you need to abort it, you may press this button to shut down the engine start. [HOME + RALT]

5. “ОСТАНОВ ВСУ” (APU shutdown) button. After both engines are running normally and the batteries are recharging from the generators, you may press this button to turn off the APU. With both engines running, there is no need for it. [END]

6. “ТУРБОПРИВОД – ВСУ – ДВИГ ЛЕВ – ДВИГ ПРАВ” (Turbo gear – APU – Left Engine – Right Engine) select switch. This is a four position switch that enables you to select either the APU (center), left engine (lower left), or right engine (lower right). When set to the top position, the system is placed in “turbo gear” mode and allows for system tests (generators and hydraulics primarily) without starting the engines. This is generally done only for maintenance and must be requested through a maintenance radio command. [E]

Radio Intercom SPU-9 Panel

2-77: Radio panel

This SPU-9 panel allows you to select the radio audio source that you hear through your headphones and what radio you transmit on. This is a rotary dial with four possible selections:

1. “СБРОС” (Reset) button. This button resets the jam-resistant secure communications codes. No function.

2. The intercom source selector dial for the SPU-9 has four settings: [/ + LALT + LCTRL]

 “(СА)УКВ-2” (VHF-2) – Selects the VHF-2 R-800L1 radio.

 “УКВ-1” (VHF-1) – Selects the VHF-1 R-828 radio for communications with ground units.

 “КВ” (SW) – Short waves band. Not used.

 “НОП” (Ground crew intercom) – used to communicate with ground crew through the wired telephone. When rearming or refueling at an airfield or FARP, you will need to select this setting to communicate with the ground crew unless the cockpit door is open and the rotors are not turning.

Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) Control

The control panel for the auxiliary power unit (APU) is located along the left side of the cockpit, next to the collective. The APU serves two primary functions: it can provide bleed air to start the engines, and it can generate electrical power (via turbo gear). In order to start the engines, you must first have the APU operating. To power on the APU, you must first satisfy the following conditions:

1- Electrical power on (batteries or ground power source)

2- Forward and aft fuel tank pumps turned on

3- Open the APU fuel shutoff valve

4- Set the Engine / APU select switch to the APU position

5- Press the engine start button

2-78: Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) panel

1. “КРАН ВСУ ОТКРЫТ” (APU fuel shutoff valve is open) light. This light indicates that the APU fuel shutoff valve is set to open.

2. “ОСТАНОВ ВСУ ПО n” (APU shutdown due to RPM limit) light. Although you will not see this often, this light indicates that the APU has stopped running due to an over-revving state. This would most likely happen if you are operating at high altitudes such as a mountain FARP.

3. “P МАСЛА ВСУ” (Oil pressure) light. This light will be visible when APU oil pressure is detected within acceptable limits.

4. “ВСУ ВКЛЮЧЕНА” (APU operate) light. If the APU has been started successfully, this light will indicate nominal operation.

5. APU exhaust gas temperature gauge. After the APU has been started, it will begin generating heat and this can be monitored from this gauge. The APU will peak at 680°C at start but will generally stabilize at 590…600°C.

After both engines have been started and are running normally, you may turn off the APU. To turn off the APU, it is best to press the stop APU button and then close the APU fuel shutoff valve.