Russian Helicopters to Present the Latest Version of Mi-28NM Helo at MAKS 2021

Russian Helicopters will unveil the latest version of the Mi-28NM Night Hunter in July during the MAKS-2021 international air show.

The upgraded Night Hunter will take part in a group flight of Russian helicopters, and will also perform a demonstration flight program with elements of complex aerobatics applicable in real air combat, state-owned Rostec said in a statement Tuesday.

“The developments on the Mi-28NM in the future will be implemented in its export version, which is of great interest both to our traditional customers, such as the countries of the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and new potential partners, because the export version of the helicopter has already confirmed its high reliability,” said Denis Manturov, head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia.

Read: Russian MoD Approves Upgrade of All Mi-28 Helicopters to the Latest Mi-28NM Standard

“The Mi-28NM is one of the most high-tech and modern helicopters in the holding's lineup, and at the MAKS air show it will take part in a new quality of a production aircraft. Undoubtedly, helicopters look best in the sky, and I am sure that the outstanding flight characteristics of the upgraded Night Hunter will be appreciated not only by specialists, but also by all spectators and guests of the air show," said Andrey Boginsky.

The contract for the supply of 98 Mi-28NM attack helicopters to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation by the end of 2027 was signed within the framework of the Army-2019 International Military-Technical Forum. The modernized Night Hunters are manufactured at the Rostvertol enterprise of the Russian Helicopters holding. In 2020, the first production batch of the latest Mi-28NM helicopters was delivered to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

The appearance of the modernized "Night Hunters" is significantly different from the basic version of the helicopter. The Mi-28NM acquired a new shape of the fuselage, upgraded engines and an auxiliary power unit, a new avionics complex, and advanced types of weapons. In connection with the installation of a new surveillance and sighting system, the layout of the nose of the fuselage has been changed, on which the equipment for interfacing with unmanned aerial vehicles is located.

Read: Russia’s Mi-28NM “Breakthrough” Gunship Can Launch Drones

During the modernization of the "Night Hunter" by the designers of the NTSV "Mil and Kamov", the experience of the development of the combat training Mi-28UB was also taken into account. A second control set is installed in the front cockpit of the new helicopter. In addition, the cockpit has undergone modernization. The commander and pilot-operator will now receive information about the environment and the operation of all systems of the vehicle in a larger volume and in a more accessible form, which will increase the situational awareness of the crew, facilitate interaction and increase the speed of decision-making in a difficult combat situation.

The helicopter was also equipped with a new sighting, flight and navigation complex equipped with computing facilities of increased speed. The cockpit is reliably armored, which provides protection against armor-piercing bullets and shells of up to 20 mm caliber. The new night vision systems installed on the helicopter allow performing combat missions around the clock and recognizing targets at long distances, giving additional advantages to the combat helicopter.