KA-27M development began in 1998, after the baseline helicopter had already served for roughly two decades. Testing did not finish until 2015, so the modernization program itself lasted seventeen years. The completed upgrade added active electronically scanned array radar and other systems. The original airframe therefore served for decades before a major sensor refresh arrived.
Chapter · 35:08-36:27
KA-27M modernization takes seventeen years to complete testing
Development from 1998 to 2015 delivered AESA radar and other improvements only after the basic KA-27 had already served for decades.