As the chief designer of the "Combat Helicopters" program Vitaly Shcherbina noted, the appearance of an effective air - to-air guided weapon as part of the aviation complex made the use of such a figure relevant
MOSCOW, May 18. /TASS/. The unique "funnel-to-tail" aerobatics and air - to-air missiles will allow the latest Mi-28NM helicopter to attack enemy aircraft. This was reported to TASS by the chief designer of the "Combat Helicopters" program of the National Center for Helicopter Construction named after M. L. Mil and N. I. Kamov (part of the Russian Helicopters holding company of the Rostec State Corporation") Vitaly Shcherbina.
"The essence of combat use is to reduce the ground speed of the helicopter to almost 0 km / h - in this position, the helicopter merges with the ground surface for the radars of enemy fighters. Then the crew takes a convenient position to attack enemy air targets with air - to-air missiles, " he said.
According to the chief designer, it was the appearance of an effective air - to-air guided weapon as part of the Mi-28NM helicopter's aviation complex that made the use of such an aerobatic figure as a "funnel on the tail"relevant.
The Mi-28NM made its first flight on October 12, 2016 and is an upgraded version of the Mi-28N. The helicopter is equipped with a dual control set - unlike the Mi-28N, where the operator in the front cockpit is limited in piloting capabilities, the new machine can be fully controlled from any cabin. The helicopter received an overhead radar, a new sighting-flight-navigation system and an improved radar station. On June 27, 2019, the Russian Helicopters Holding Company announced the signing of a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry for the supply of 98 Mi-28NM attack helicopters in 2020-2027.
