Mil Mi-28 (Havoc)

History of Mil Mi-28 (Havoc)

The Mil Mi-28 (NATO reporting designation "Havoc") is a Cold War era product designed as an anti-tank platform similar in scope and function to the American Hughes AH-64 Apache family. Like the Apache, the Mi-28 is equipped with an armored tandem seat, a stepped cockpit for pilots and weapons officers, a chin-mounted turret and short wings on the sides of the fuselage for various Ammunition options - rockets and anti-tank missiles.

The Mi-28 system was designed in the early 1980s in head-to-head competition trials with the Kamov-inspired single-seat, twin-rotor Ka-50 design. Although the Mi-28 was the ultimate loser in the trials, it was accepted for further development and entered mass production as the "Mi-28A" in 1987 - and was officially unveiled to the public at the 1989 Paris Air Show. Although the production of the initial mark did not last long (mainly due to its day-only operational status), the system was further developed in the Mi-28N day and night attack system (by adding a radome to the main rotor pylon) identification) ). The development of this new breed was slow as the Ka-50 series remained a priority after the fall of the Soviet Empire in 1991 and defense budgets were slashed. As a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the severely limited Ka-50 family began to give way to the multi-role qualities of the Mi-28, eventually replacing the Ka-50 as the standard Russian attack helicopter in the post-Cold War world.

They have proven better suited to today's modern battlefield constantly changing conditions, more traditional in their two-occupant layout, and less expensive to produce in the quantities needed. The new Mi-28N ("Night Fighter"), a new day and night variant of the long-term development, was officially entered into the service list of the Russian Air Force on October 15, 2009.

Since then, the Mi-28 and Ka-50 have operated side-by-side and, interestingly, both now represent standard Russian attack helicopters. The Russian Army received its first Mi-28N in 2006 to replace its aging Mi-24 Hinds in the dedicated attack role.

The Havoc features a unique elongated nose design that accommodates the necessary electronics. Two crew members (pilot at the rear, gunner at the front) sit side by side in a fully armored frame cockpit capable of handling small arms fire up to 14.5mm. Pilots (rear) benefit from the use of advanced helmet-mounted displays. Interestingly, the helm controls in the rear cockpit have not been removed to encourage strict concentration from each crew member in their respective cockpits. Power comes from 2 Klimov brand turboshaft engines driving a five-blade main rotor and a four-blade tail rotor (starboard), each producing 2,200 hp.

Interestingly, despite being classified as an "attack helicopter", the Mi-28 Havoc has a three-person cabin aft of the main cockpit (similar to the larger Cold War-era Mil Mi-24 "Hind" series helicopters). However, the compartment was used more as a rescue function for downed pilots than for transporting armed combatants to the battlefield. The helicopter's basic armament is a 30mm Shipunov 2A42 powered automatic cannon mounted on a chin mount, while the wing stubs provide four mounts for anti-tank missiles, rocket pods and gun pods as required. Therefore, Havoc can easily attack soft and hard targets.

The landing gear is fixed and consists of two main landing gear legs at the front and a tail wheel at the rear. The overall design includes a forward armored cockpit, engines mounted amidships in the tall ship, long tail fins that house the tail rotor shaft, and vertical tail fins that cover the ends of the aircraft.

Russia remains the main operator of the Mi-28 Havoc series, although export versions have been offered to several interested countries, including North Korea (Mi-28NAe), Iraq, and possibly India, Algeria, and Venezuela. Although there are currently only about 52 Havocs in active Russian inventory (as of 2012), it is expected that by the end of deliveries (probably 2015), the Russian Air Force will have access to nearly 70 systems.

To date, a dozen or so have formed a training squadron, and the rest have formed three regiments.

Indian interest in acquiring 22 Mi-28Ns (with Western electronics) remains, although the Hughes AH-64 Apache series is likely to supersede interest due to the complex and expensive conversion process required.

On October 9, 2012, the Russian-Iraqi deal for 30 Mi-28N helicopters was officially finalized and announced. That makes Iraq just one of three official operators of the Mi-28, along with Russia and Kenya - the latter with 16 prototypes on order.

Mil has introduced the Mi-28UB, a new purpose-built trainer variant of its impressive Mi-28. The platform is intended for crew members who will eventually fly the Mi-28N variant.

Both cockpits of the Mi-28UB feature redundant controls to distribute the workload between the two pilots (as opposed to the single-lever configuration of the original Mi-28 production model). The new variant may open up sales of the Mi-28 to interested customers, as special trainers (Mi-28 students previously trained with Mi-24 "Hinds") are available.

The Mi-28 is intended as a modern replacement for the Mi-24 - although the Mi-24 itself has been modernized into the Mi-35 to accommodate its large export base.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes