Nikolai Il’ich Kamov
Irkutsk, Sept. 1, 1902 - † Moscow, Nov. 24, 1973
Soviet helicopter designer; Doctor of Technical Sciences (1962), Hero of Socialist Labor (1972). Became a member of the Communist Party in 1943.
Kamov graduated from the Tomsk Technological Institute in 1923. In 1929 he created the first Soviet helicopter (an autogiro), the Kaskr-1 Krasnyi Iuzhener (with the engineer N. K. Skrzhin-skii). From 1931 to 1935 the A-7 combat autogiro was designed under his supervision (a squadron of autogiros participated in the Great Patriotic War, 1941–45). In 1960 he became the chief designer in the Helicopter Design Office. The coaxial helicopters built under Kamov’s direction include the Ka-8 Irkutianin (1945–48), the Ka-10 (1949–53), the Ka-15 (1950–56), the Ka-18 (1955–60), the twin-turbine Ka-25 (1958–68), the twin-engine Ka-26 (1964–67), and the twin-turbine experimental rotary-wing Ka-22 (1953–64). He was awarded two Orders of Lenin, two other orders, and medals.
The Kamov Company
The Kamov Design Bureau (design office prefix Ka) has more recently specialised in compact helicopters with coaxial rotors, suitable for naval service and high-speed operations.
Kamov merged with Mil and Rostvertol to form Oboronprom Corp. in 2006. The Kamov brand name was retained, though the new company dropped overlapping product lines.
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