Russian Helicopters Holding has started the serial production of upgraded Mi-28NM attack helicopter, said the CEO of Russian Helicopters Andrei Boginsky.
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"Serial production has begun. Under the current defense order we will provide 98 helicopters by 2027. The first two have been delivered for testing already. One is involved in government certification tests, while the other is being used for experiments with new rotor blades that increase speed," said Boginsky to TASS news agency..
In May the Holding had said that the helicopter would be equipped with several new types of missiles. Last year, it was reported that the “superhunter” will be adopted by the Hermes-A, also known as the “Product 305”. The firing range of such ammunition will allow the Mi-28NM to attack targets at a distance of 15-20 km. It will also become possible to use the long-range ATGM Chrysanthemum-VM.
In addition to new weapons, the “super hunter” received many other design changes. The most notable of these was the supra-muzzle radar station H025. It allows the helicopter to detect targets outside of visual visibility.
Another important innovation called the military dual control. Helicopter can be steered from any of the two seats. This will allow the use of conventional machines for training and training pilots.
The Mi-28NM will be fitted with VK-2500P engines, which are fully manufactured in Russia under the import substitution program. Together with advanced all-composite propeller blades, this will increase the cruising speed of the helicopter by 10-13%.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in December 2019 that the Mi-28NM prototype had already been tested in Syria. According to him, the helicopter was involved there in real hostilities. Along with it, other newest models of weapons were tested: the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter and the Orion medium strike drone.
During the modernisation, the combat experience of the basic version of the Mi-28N was taken into account. Helicopters of this model were actively used in Syria in battles against the terrorist group ISIS. The Ministry of Defence showed video footage of the helicopter hitting tanks and other targets of militants from a distance of up to 5.5 km. In the export modification, he was actively involved in the Iraqi Air Force in the war against terrorists in 2014-2017.
