The Ka-31 airborne early warning helicopter based on Ka-29TB base. Originally, this helicopter was known as the Ka-29RLD (Radiolokatsyonnogo Dozor, or a radar picket helicopter). AEW This type first flew in 1988 and was first seen during trials aboard the Kuznetsov vehicle.
The primary mission of the Ka-31 is a detection system in the long-range air and threats of war. This helicopter can track targets over the horizon much larger than on-board radar. It is an important finding for the task of the Navy, whose ships are too small to operate carrier-borne early warning aircraft.
Ka-31 helicopter has been developed based on Ka-27 helicopter on a ship coaxial. Under the floor of the cockpit of transport is not a compartment housing the support mechanism of rotation of an antenna of 6 m span. To avoid interfering with the plane of rotation of the antenna integrated front landing legs retract back up on the flight deck main wise and legs retract upward.
In the stowed position, the antenna is held against the bottom of the fuselage. The search team and attack helicopter Ka-27 designed to combat submarines were dismantled. Instead, a set of radio-electronics has been installed for radar target detection, identification objectives and transmission of water in the air and the data of the status of the control stations based on ships and on land. Ka-31 is based on ships and on land.
The helicopter Ka-31 radar picket is intended to be used to detect targets flying at lower altitude than the altitude of flight, and transmit information from them to the ground and shipboard point for receiving information and also in the light above the water surface.
