DCS Black Shark: The Ka-50 model in the Simulation is not Equipped for Conventional Wars

Very shortly after its release, several threads appeared in the official forums asking why the Ka-50 didn't have thermal imaging, radar or even radar detector. The most people were prone to compare the Ka-50 to the AH-64D Apache, with its lavish target acquisition systems.

Because important points at the official DCS forums most of the times get lost in the squelch, the reason of this entry is to state very clearly that the Ka-50 we fly in DCS Black Shark is not intended for deployment in conventional wars.

A beta-tester made it clear at the official forums:

The Ka-50 is intended for low-intensity operations. It is not intended for and will NOT be deployed in an actual war. That is the Mi-28's job.

From a post by GGTharos

Another, beta-tester (this one an actual AH-64 pilot), commented about the lack of RWR and the missions in which the Ka-50 might be deployed.

The mission for which the Ka-50 is intended implies that the adversary will not be advanced enough or have the resources necessary in order to deploy radar-guided air defenses. Because of that, the aircraft is not equipped with any kind of defense against radar-guided threats.
From a post by AlphaOneSix

Black Shark, on who shall we unleash your firepower today?

The mission for which the Ka-50 is intended implies that the adversary willnot be advanced enough or have the resources necessary in order to deploy radar-guided air defenses. Because of that, the aircraft is not equipped with any kind of defense against radar-guided threats.

Based on our virtual flight hours with the DCS Black Shark, we may feel like the Ka-50 model simulated may do more than OK in a conventional war. I'm sure you have busted many enemy tanks in this simulation. We should recognize though that the less than stellar AI ground units are just too happy to walk into our engagement areas and be blown up into oblivion. If the virtual tanks in DCS Black Shark would react a bit more competently, they would just hide in heavy forested or urban areas at the first sign of trouble.

The baptism of fire of the Ka-50 was during the second Chechen War. Please refer to this article.

"Black Sharks" in Chechnya, by Andrey Zinchuk. Military Technology 09/2005

The article is a brief history of the Ka-50/Ka-29 Combat Attack group in Chechnya. The take home lessons from this article are:

• Ka50s used in conjunction with Ka-29s that provide target data

• Ka50 used in conjunction with Ka-29s in a low intensity conflict (enemy didn't have radar guided SAMs or other conventional anti-aircraft weaponry)

• Ka-50 excelled at maneuverability in highly mountainous regions

• Enemy targets included parking sites, rebel camps, ammo depots, field fortifications, shelters, trenches, etc.

• The Ka-50 is extremely reliable mechanically.

Cheers,