Ka-226 Helicopter Carrying Workers of Military Plant Crashes in Russia’s Dagestan

A Ka-226 helicopter crashed near a residential building in the village of Achi-Su (Dagestan, Russia). Four employees of the Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant, a defense industry enterprise, were killed, and three others were hospitalized.

This was reported by Russian media.

The Ka-226 helicopter (registration number RA-19307) that crashed in Dagestan belongs to the Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant concern. This was reported by the press service of Rosaviatsia; the agency classified the incident as a disaster.

The helicopter crashed on the afternoon of November 7 near the village of Achi-Su in the Karabudakhkent district of Dagestan. According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, four people died in the crash and three others were injured.

The helicopter was flying from Kizlyar to Izberbash; there were workers on board. Witnesses claim that the aircraft caught fire during the flight, and the crew tried to land it on the beach.

The helicopter crashed into the territory of a residential building, which, according to Russian Telegram channels, was empty at the time. A fire broke out at the crash site over an area of 80 square meters, which is being extinguished by firefighters.

Three victims were hospitalized at the Izberbash city hospital; one of them is in an extremely serious condition and is not transportable. Two more were sent to a burn center, accompanied by doctors, the press service of the Dagestan Ministry of Health reported.

Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant

The company produces a wide range of military and dual-use products. The company is mainly known for the production of equipment for aviation. In particular, AKU-58 suspension units for external suspension and launch of Kh-59 missile, X-58, X-59, X-29 and X-31 families, as well as devices for transporting and dropping ammunition and cargo weighing up to several hundred kilograms.

The plant also specializes in aircraft maintenance and diagnostics equipment, as well as ground control kits and operational monitoring systems for Sukhoi and MiG aircraft.

In 2024, the Russian company Tekhmet, together with the Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant, presented a self-propelled anti-aircraft system based on the Taifun-VDV armored vehicle and the ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun. The system began to be developed in 2020, and the system itself, based on the Taifun-VDV, was first presented in 2022 at the Army-2022 exhibition.

The system has a high level of automation due to the installation of a remote control system, an optoelectronic station and electric guidance drives. The system’s computing module collects data from the optical system and weather station to capture the detected target and calculate the target’s ballistics and trajectory.

During the conversion, the ZU-23-2-based system retains the main elements of the 2A13 carriage and artillery unit. The characteristics of the 23-mm guns remained unchanged: the range and height of the targeted fire reach 2000 meters. The main innovation of the system, according to the developers, is a new 23×152 mm programmable projectile that will allow the system to effectively engage air targets.