Berkuts (Russia-Golden Eagle) is the aerobatic team of the Russian Aerospace Forces, operating Mil Mi-28N Night Hunter (NATO report name: Havock-B) armed helicopters, and demonstrated its mastery capabilities at the MAKS 2021 air show. The helicopter performed various rolls and spins, including groups and singles.
Mi-28N (designated as Mi-28NE for export modification) is continuously produced by the Rostvertol plant (a subsidiary of Rostec holding Russian helicopters) and is designed to perform combat missions under any geographical and climatic conditions (including extreme heat temperatures) ), day and night, and under severe weather conditions. The extraordinary combat survivability and powerful weaponry are often referred to as the main advantages of the rotor platform.
The helicopter’s weaponry includes up to 16 Ataka series (AT-9 Spiral-2) anti-tank missiles, up to 4 Igla (SA-18 Grouse) air-to-air missiles, approximately 80 mm and 122 mm unguided rockets; 23 Millimeter shell bay; and Gryasev-Shipunov 2A42 30 millimeter automatic gun mounted on the chin. These weapons have been integrated with complex fire control systems.
Self-defense is provided by a special system that uses a thermal seeker to counteract air defense missiles. The cockpit, main subsystems, and extremely important components (such as fuel tanks) are protected by armor. The blades of the Mi-28NE main rotor are made of composite materials, which can complete a flight even if hit by a 30mm bullet. Two Klimov VK-2500 turboshaft engines enable Havock-B to perform single-engine flight and landing. The aerial platform also has a low-altitude collision avoidance system.
In order to comply with the global trend, the developer equipped Mi-28NE with a subsystem to support interaction with the drone and its remote control.
The pilots who flew Havock-B during the Syrian battle emphasized the helicopter’s night attack capability. “You can see a car 15 kilometers away. Thermal imager, special goggles-all of these are used to detect targets in the dark and provide good results. The Mi-28’s weapon characteristics also allow a lot; this can Look farther. The ergonomics of the cockpit has been better considered, that is to say, the crew is comfortable here, which is also very important”, flight commander Major Yevgeny Silev accepts The Russian Defense Ministry’s Red Star newspaper (Krasnaya Zvezda) said in an interview.
