Zvezda 7246 Mi-28A

The Mil Mi-28 (NATO code: Havoc) was and still is a heavy Soviet-made attack helicopter with a full metal, half-shell structure, with a fixed landing gear, in a classic arrangement with a main rotor and a tail rotor on the beam. The drive is provided by two Klimov-TV-3-117VMA engines with a capacity of 1970 HP each. The first prototype flew in 1982, and intermittent serial production began in 1987 and continues to this day. The main task of the Mi-28 was originally to be fighting against tanks of NATO troops. The Mi-28 was also created as a Soviet response to the American AH-64 Apache, but - interestingly - it also had to fight for orders from the Soviet Army with the native Ka-50. At first it seemed that the Mi-28 would lose this fight. However, with the arrival of the Mi-28N version (1996 flight), the chances changed. The Mi-28N had - compared to the previous versions - better ergonomics, and above all the radar located in the dome above the main rotor (a solution similar to that used in the AH-64 D Longbow). In 2003, the Russian military authorities announced that the Mi-28N would be the primary attack helicopter for Russian troops. However, the first serial machines entered the line only in 2009. The Mi-28 NE version was exported to Syria and Algeria. The first combat use of the Mi-28 helicopter took place in Syria in 2016.