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2017-10-04

Mi-28 Night Hunter: The Mean Machine

A workhorse boosting ground force capability, Russia can be proud to recognise the Mi-28N rotorcraft ranked amongst the best 5 attack helicopters in the world. The “Night Hunter” combat helicopter was developed by the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant to carry out search and destroy operations against tanks, armoured and un-armoured vehicles as well as low-speed airborne targets.

This attack helicopter can operate night and day and in adverse weather conditions. In its export version, the Mi-28NE is designed for the following missions:

• providing fire support for forward ground forces;

• acting as part of the anti-tank reserve;

• accompanying and supporting tactical airborne assault and assault force units;

• combating tactical airborne assault forces;

• combating low-speed, low-altitude airborne targets.

Mi-28NE helicopters boast advanced flight capabilities and can execute aerobatic manoeuvres, with the renowned Berkuty (Golden Eagles) flight display team operating the Night Hunter since 2012. A special Mi-28UB model has now been developed for pilot training with a dual control system but full attack capabilities.

The Night Hunter’s main targets are:

• Tanks, self-propelled artillery and military anti-air defence units;

• Armoured infantry vehicles, apcs and vehicles;

• Individual weapons (launchers), field and nuclear artillery batteries;

• Light military equipment (individual targets);

• Enemy personnel;

• Helicopters and low-altitude, low-speed airborne planes.

On-board equipment support includes:

• Day and night firepower and effective communications equipment

• Flight and navigation in favourable or adverse weather conditions at low and extremely low altitudes

• Overflight and automated obstacle warning systems;

History

The Mil Mi-28N was unveiled in 1995 based on the Mil Mi-24, the only existing example of a transport capacity attack helicopter. The new model reduced the transport capacity from eight to three men to improve maximum speed and performance.

The most significant feature was a radar in a round cover above the main rotor, resembling the American AH-64D Apache Longbow. The Mi-28N also improved tor vision with an aiming device under the nose, including a TV camera and FLIR. However, due to funding problems, development was interrupted and a second prototype with an improved rotor design was unveiled in March 2004.

Specialized anti-tank helicopters became less useful post-Cold War and the Mi-28N’s all-weather action ability and lower cost became important. Thus, by 2015, 67 Mi-28Ns had been purchased by the Russian Army, while about 140 Mi-28N and Mi-35M helicopters were delivered in 2012–14 to domestic and foreign customers. Finally, in April 2016, the Russian Defence Ministry ordered the first batch of 24 of the Mi-28UB training and combat variant.

During the Battle of Palmyra in 2016, Russian Mil Mi-28s supported the Syrian Arab Army forces in their advance towards the city. Capable of large-scale airstrikes, the gunship has provided close air support for the Syrian military seeking more territory in Islamic State (IS) controlled areas. In June, a Mi-28 was shelled by militants with a heavy machine gun in the Palmyra area, but suffered no damage and continued its flight.

The Mi-28Ns have been working closely with Russian special forces operators involved in directing close air support from the ground. In Aleppo, the combination of Tu-214R surveillance plane and the MI-28N rotorcraft has been effective in delivering high precision strikes to prevent the enemy from obtaining reinforcements and countering their air defenses.

Upgraded design and capabilities

The Mi-28N incorporates advanced avionics to deliver enhanced defence capabilities based on the conventional pod and boom configuration with main and tail rotor blades made of composite materials. It can perform manual and automatic nap of the earth (NOE) flight and with stand-alone solo stationing capability.

The Night Hunter’s five-blade main rotor is mounted above the body midsection, equipped with shock-absorbing landing gear and inflatable rubber bags. Short, wide, tapered, weapon-carrying wings are mounted to the rear of the midsection body. Two turboshaft engines in pods are on top of the fuselage with downturned exhausts.

The Mi-28N fuselage is slender and tapers to the tail boom and nose. It boasts plastic rotor blades which can sustain hits from 30 mm shells. The main rotor head has elastomeric bearings while the main rotor blades are made from composite materials. Normal and maximum take-off weights are 10,900kg and 12,100kg respectively.

The landing gear and seats are non-retractable and with an energy-absorbing tricycle tail-wheel to protect the crew in a crash landing or in a low-altitude vertical fall. The cockpit is reinforced with armor and shock absorbers to protect both crew members, equipped with advanced sensors for day, night and inclement weather conditions. The windshield can withstand impact by 7.62 and 12.7mm bullets and 20mm shell fragments.

The armored cockpit is fitted with shock-absorbing seats and a parachute escape system. The portside and starboard cockpit doors and wing panels are installed with an emergency jettisoning system. The helicopter offers superior protection and increased situational awareness against small arms, while the small passenger compartment can carry three people during search and rescue missions.

State-of-the-Art avionics for combat missions

The Mi-28NE Night Hunter combat helicopter is equipped with an advanced set of integrated avionics suites for automatic detection and target tracking. The Okhotnik automatic thermal television system performs intellectual processing of video images, while a high-speed digital interface transmits video signals.

The pilot uses a helmet-mounted target designator which allocates the target to the navigator’s surveillance and fire control system. An optical-electronic system both processes information and fulfils observation, navigation and fire control requirements.

The gunship incorporates an airborne radar system (KRET) and a receiving-transmitting antenna module to detect dangerous objects and meteorological formations while enabling the helicopter to remain invisible. The Mi-28NE features a dual-control system, a CV-28 M round-the-clock target sight system and a laser system. The targeting system follows the direction of the pilot’s eyes, while the navigator/weapons officer can deploy guided weapons or guns against the target.

Speed

The Mi-28N’s cruise and maximum speeds are 270 km/h and 300 km/h respectively. It can climb at a rate of 13.6 m/s with a service ceiling of 5,600 m and range of about 435 km. Normal and maximum take-off weights are 10,900 kg and 12,100 kg respectively.

Weapons

The Mi-28 boasts a movable weapon mount with a 30mm 2A42 cannon. The gun has a dual-feed, allowing for a cyclic rate of fire between 200 rounds per minute to 550 rounds per minute varying from 1,500 meters for ground vehicles to 2,500 meters for air targets.

The helicopter carries over 50 underwing armaments including guided and unguided missiles and rockets, up to 16 Ataka-B air-to-ground missiles and 8 short-range Igla man-portable surface-to-air missile systems. It is also armed with two Strelets air-to-air missiles, 80mm and 130mm S-13 rocket pods and B-8 V20A rocket pods with S-8 and B-13 L’1 weapons.

The upgraded version of the Mi-28N combat helicopter will be armed with extended range guided anti-tank missiles. Its Ataka and Khrizantema missiles will soon be upgraded to be capable of identifying, tracking and eliminating targets at a longer distance, especially for the Mi-28NM helicopter. The helicopter will then acquire the capability to use missiles at any time and in any weather, including poor visibility.

The Ataka missile’s range is due to be increased from six to eight kilometers. The new configuration of the Mi-28N helicopter will have a fundamentally new radar, 360-degree panoramic vision and other equipment boasting enhanced capabilities to use high accuracy weapons. The first batch of upgraded helicopters is expected to enter service in 2018.

Engine

The Mi-28NE and Mi-28UB are powered by two VK-2500 turboshaft engines manufactured by Klimov. Each engine generates a maximum take-off power of 2,200h.

The Mi-28UB

The Mi-28UB training upgrade possesses all the combat capabilities of the battle-tested Mi-28N, performing search-and-destroy missions against land-based targets, small naval vessels and low-speed aerial targets during the day or night and in all weather conditions. The integrated avionics suite enables nap-of-the-earth flights on autopilot mode during the night and in adverse climates, with stand-alone solo stationing capability.

The Mi-28UB integrates a new full authority digital control system (FADEC). The engines are mounted alongside the top of the fuselage with downturned exhausts to develop a maximum power output of 2,700hp.

The slender fuselage tapers to the tail boom and nose, featuring tandem, stepped-up cockpits and belly-mounted cannon. The cockpit is armoured with two wings hinged to the rear of fuselage midsection, while the windshield withstands 7.62 and 12.7mm bullets and 20mm shell fragments and energy-attenuating seats absorb shock energy during an emergency landing.

The pilot uses a helmet-mounted target designator, allocating the target to the navigator’s surveillance and fire control system. An optical-electronic system processes the information collected and fulfils observation, navigation and fire control tasks.

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