The history of the Black Shark (Part 3)

In the early 21st century, all army aviation, including helicopter units, was re-subordinated to the allegedly development-oriented Russian Air Force.

This decision did not make much sense because all Russia's cash-strapped armed services were unable to acquire modern military equipment at the turn of the century. The Air Force, for example, which only got the first new Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback tactical bombers in late 2006, managed to upgrade just a few aircraft per year, starting with 1992. Consequently, Air Force generals cared little about helicopter units.

The Ka-50 faced additional problems after the re-subordination because Army General Vladimir Mikhailov, commander of the Russian Air Force, preferred the Mil Mi-28 Havoc attack helicopter that had lost out to the Ka-50 in 1984.

Read more