A general Question. KA 60 VS. AS 365

Yossarian

Forum Resistance Leader
I have a general question on the Eurocopter AS 365. And Russian KA 60.

I haven't noticed until now but the KA 60 seems heavily influenced by the airframe design of the AS 365. However I can't find any information concerning any foreign cooperation in the development of the KA 60. Basically what I am looking for is to see just how similar they are.

Being as apparently the export version of the KA 60 even uses Western Engines.

Or just to see if the KA 60 is pretty much an pirated copy of the famous Eurocopter design.

Thanks again.

Yo
 
They certainly bare a striking resemblance. Wouldn't be the first time. They copied the B29 and I seem to remember the B25's that made it to Russia from Doolittle's raid were copied and the crew that survived were shot as spies. Some of the old Soviet area cars looked a lot like early 50's Chryslers.
 
It's not a pirated copy of the Eurocopter but the Kamov bureau has been paying a lot more attention to the way Western helos are laid out and that has most definitely influenced their airframe design e.g. large, sliding, side mounted doors rather than one small personnel door and a tail ramp on the Mi-8.
The Ka60 was designed to be a little more "stealthy" and to have better performance than previous designs so the design is more streamlined and with less radar cross-section, a smaller optical signature and makes use of IR absorbing paint.

It's a case of parallel design more than a case of copying someone else's, it's like how cars these days are starting to look the same as they take more advantage of streamlining to improve performance.
For a similar example in the West, have a look at the Sikorsky S-76B Fantail. It was a testbed for the tail design of the RAH-66 helicopter and just by mounting the Fenestron tail, its appearance somewhat mimics the AS.365 because their overall shape is similar enough to begin with.

As for old Soviet cars looking like 50's Chryslers, there's no surprise considering that US auto companies sold millions of dollars worth of cars, trucks and parts to the USSR and also helped them to establish their own auto factories (the GAZ plant was built and its workforce trained with direct technical assistance from Ford)
 
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