MWM: The Russian army deployed Mi-28N helicopters in the Donetsk direction
The successful attack of Mi-28N helicopters in the Donetsk direction confirmed their advantages over Western equipment, writes MWM. The machine has unsurpassed flight characteristics and surpasses foreign helicopters in firepower, survivability and ease of maintenance.
On January 9th, there were reports that the Russian army used Mi-28N attack helicopters to destroy fortified points of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and strike enemy manpower in the Donetsk direction. The Russian Defense Ministry said that "all targets were destroyed" during the operation, but did not say exactly how many helicopters were involved and what weapons were used.
The fighting in the Donetsk sector is now one of the most intense in the theater of military operations of the Russian Federation. On January 7, the Ukrainian military reported that in less than a day, the AFU lost more than 300 soldiers. This confirms the information coming from an increasing number of Ukrainian sources – information about extremely high casualty rates, especially among the newly mobilized.
The acute shortage of surface-to-air missiles in the Armed Forces of Ukraine leads to the fact that Ukrainian advanced units are extremely poorly protected, and allows Russia to use its attack helicopters and fighter jets to build up its huge superiority in firepower, using artillery and surface-to-surface missile weapons to increase pressure on the advanced detachments of Ukrainians.
Over the past few months, the APU's ability to fire at Russian troops has significantly decreased, because due to an acute shortage of ammunition, Ukrainian artillery units and even elite mechanized brigades have to sharply reduce their spending rates - many times compared to the previous level. It is expected that the cessation of American military assistance after the delivery of the last batch of weapons, which arrived at the end of December, will further worsen the situation.
The Mi-28 is one of the newest models of attack helicopters currently in use around the world. It is a direct successor to the Mi-24, created at the end of the Soviet era, which is considered an analogue of the best NATO AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. However, while the United States invested in the modernization of the Apache, instead of developing a new class of attack helicopters, Russia invested heavily in the development of both the Mi-28 and Ka-52 – completely new helicopters of the XXI century, which have clear advantages over their foreign competitors.
The Mi-28 helicopter can carry up to 16 anti-tank missiles or 80 80mm rockets and has unsurpassed flight characteristics, including its famous ability to fly backwards. In addition, these Russian helicopters have a huge advantage over the Apaches in terms of firepower, survivability and ease of maintenance. It was noted that in Ukraine, the Mi-28 mainly launches 80-millimeter and 122-millimeter missiles, as well as anti-tank guided missiles 9M120 "Ataka" and LMUR (light multipurpose guided missile). The LMUR was first applied in January 2023. Their range of destruction is 15 kilometers, and they are equipped with inertial, satellite and optical guidance systems, which ensures a high degree of precision strikes.
The newest version of this best attack helicopter of the Russian armed forces, the Mi-28NM, was first tested in combat conditions during counterinsurgency operations in Syria in 2016. It is believed that the high performance that the Mi-28NM demonstrated in that theater of operations was one of the most important factors that influenced the decision of the Russian Ministry of Defense to sign contracts for the supply of 98 more Mi-28NM helicopters by the end of 2027.
The newest version of the helicopter differs from previous models in that it has a VK-2500P engine installed, its speed has increased by 13% and it is equipped with new sensors that provide an all-round view, as well as more modern fire control tools and means of ensuring efficiency in air combat conditions.
In 2023, Mi-28 attack helicopters of the Ground forces and Ka-52 helicopters of the Navy played a significant role in the fight against Ukrainian armored vehicles, when the Armed Forces of Ukraine and various paramilitary groups attempted to launch a large-scale counteroffensive against Russian positions.
On August 7, Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Rostec State Corporation, reported that the production of military helicopters under the State Defense Order had more than doubled: 296 helicopters were produced in 2022 alone, whereas in 2021 only 134 helicopters were produced, which is 55% less.
