Russia's Mi‑28N Night Hunter loss highlights fleet decline
The Russians have lost another highly 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 type of helicopter.
It's worth noting that Russia had about one hundred of these helicopters at the start of the war, and 100% availability is never achievable. Considering the issues with access to spare parts and confirmed instances of cannibalizing functional machines, it's estimated that only about half of the fleet is combat-ready. In this context, the loss of each unit is significant, particularly when factoring in 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 by 2009.
The Mi-28N's design features 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—an arrangement popularized by the American AH-1 Cobra helicopter.
The Mi-28N pilot's cabin is armored and, according to Russian claims, can withstand large-caliber machine gun fire of 0.50 inches and shrapnel. The helicopter is equipped for night operations, and pilots have helmet-mounted displays that facilitate quick target acquisition.
The basic armament of the Mi-28N includes a 30 mm 2A42 cannon mounted at the front of the helicopter, with a magazine holding 250 rounds. Additional weapons are mounted on four pylons located on the vestigial wings.
Possible armament includes options such as carrying 16 anti-tank guided missiles 9M120 Ataka (grouped in fours) with a range of up to 5 miles or pods with 3.15-inch caliber S-8 unguided rockets. Recently, the Russians have also showcased the integration of the Night Hunter with new Ch-39 missiles that have a range of 9 miles.
The Mi-28N detects targets using an electro-optical turret equipped 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 enables firing at two of them at the same time. The helicopter also features sensors that detect when it is being illuminated by radar or laser beams, alerting the pilot to potential targeting threats.
