Mi‑28n night hunter loss marks significant blow to Russia
The Russians have lost another highly valuable machine, the Mi-28N Night Hunter attack helicopter. Here are the performance details of these helicopters.
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 type of helicopter.
It's worth noting that Russia possessed about a hundred of these helicopters at the onset of the war, and achieving 100% operational availability is impossible. Considering difficulties in obtaining spare parts and confirmed instances of cannibalising functional machines, it can be estimated that around half of these helicopters are combat-ready. Under these circumstances, the loss of each unit is significant, particularly when it involves 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, along with the Ka-52 Alligator and the Mi-35, an upgraded version of the Mi-24. The design process for the Mi-28N started in the 1980s, but the first units were inducted into the Russian air force in 2006, with full deployment by 2009.
The Mi-28N's design follows 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 configuration popularised by the American AH-1 Cobra helicopter.
The Mi-28N pilot's cabin is armoured and, according to Russian claims, can withstand fire from large-calibre machine guns and shrapnel. The helicopter is also equipped for night operations, and pilots have helmet-mounted displays that significantly aid quick target acquisition.
The basic armament of the Mi-28N includes a 30mm 2A42 cannon at the helicopter's front, with a magazine of 250 rounds. Additional armaments are carried on four pylons attached to the stubby wings.
Possible configurations include carrying, for example, 16 anti-tank guided missiles 9M120 Ataka (grouped in fours) with a range of up to 8 kilometres, or pods with 80mm calibre S-8 unguided rockets. Recently, the Russians have also demonstrated the integration of the Night Hunter with new Ch-39 missiles that have a range of 14 kilometres.
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 positioned above the main rotor allows tracking of ten objects simultaneously and engaging two at the same time. The helicopter is also equipped with sensors that detect radar or laser illumination, alerting the pilot if they are being targeted.
