Mi‑28N helicopter loss highlights challenges for Russian forces
The Russians have lost another valuable machine, the Mi-28N Night Hunter attack helicopter. Here are the performance details of these machines.
The Fighterbomber channel on Telegram, associated with Russian military aviation, reported the loss of a Mi-28N Night Hunter helicopter along with two pilots. This marks the 16th confirmed loss of this model.
It's worth noting that Russia had about 100 of these helicopters at the start of the war, and 100% availability is rarely achievable. Considering the issues with access to spare parts and the confirmed cases of cannibalizing functional machines, it's estimated that about half of the helicopters are combat-ready. In this context, the loss of each unit is significant, especially with the pilots, whose training takes years.
Mi-28N: Russia's answer to the AH-64 Apache
The Mi-28N is one of three modern Russian attack helicopters, alongside the Ka-52 Alligator and the Mi-35, an improved version of the Mi-24. The design process for the Mi-28N began in the 1980s, but the first units only joined the Russian Air Force in 2006, with full deployment in 2009.
The Mi-28N's design is based on a classic narrow-fuselage layout with a main rotor and a smaller tail rotor. Two pilots sit in a tandem arrangement, one above the other, a layout popularized by the American AH-1 Cobra helicopter.
The Mi-28N pilot's cabin is armored and, according to Russian claims, is resistant to large-calibre machine gun fire of 12.7 mm and shrapnel. The helicopter also has equipment that enables night operations, with pilots having helmet-mounted displays that significantly facilitate quick target acquisition.
The basic armament of the Mi-28N includes a 30 mm 2A42 cannon on the front of the helicopter, with a magazine of 250 rounds. The rest of the armament is carried on four pylons mounted on the vestigial wings.
Possible options include carrying, for example, 16 anti-tank guided missiles 9M120 Ataka (grouped in fours) with a range of up to 8 km or pods with 80 mm calibre S-8 unguided rockets. Recently, the Russians have also showcased the integration of the Night Hunter with new Ch-39 missiles with a range of 14 km.
The Mi-28N detects targets using an electro-optical turret with a thermal camera and laser rangefinder located in the helicopter's nose. Additionally, the N025 radar above the main rotor allows tracking of ten objects simultaneously and simultaneous firing at two of them. The helicopter is also equipped with sensors that detect illumination by radar or laser beams, alerting the pilot that they are being targeted.
