Major Evgeny Seelev, helicopter pilot of the Aviation of the Russian Federation, told the press of his country the experiences gained in a year of fighting in the Syrian theater.
Seelev conducted over two hundred combat missions and support to both Russian and Syrian land forces. A typical action, the official said, consisted of the so-called free hunting, which allowed Russian helicopters to neutralize many structures of the Islamic state. To be less identifiable by aircraft, Islamic militias have adopted new tactics, moving mainly at night. However, as Seelev said, the night vision apparatus that equips attack helicopters (the Russian ones are called that and not exploration helicopters and escort) MIL MI.28 HAVOC are able to locate a vehicle at 15 km of dances. Also according to the Russian pilot, the HAVOC stands out for its greater handling and firepower qualities compared to other helicopters of the same category.
MIl Mi. 28 made the first flight in the 1982. The general configuration recalls the helicopters of the same western class, with a twin-engine formula and two crew members arranged in tandem, climbed in height between them. The fully loaded mass exceeds the 10 tons, armed at the bow with a 2A42 swing arm from 30 mm and can carry 16 surface-to-air 9M120 ATAKA laser-guided missiles and two rocket pods not guided by 57 mm.
The propulsion is ensured by two Klimov TV3-117 turbines that develop 2117 Hp effective to the rotor, indispensable given the mass of the aircraft, which allows HAVOC to reach the speed of 300 km / h.
The aircraft is equipped with instruments that make it able to fly even in adverse weather conditions, by placing radar (located in the dome in the bow).
The program of acquisition, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, has undergone considerable delays, so much so that it only resumed at the beginning of the 21st century. Today a limited number of machines are in service, some of which were used by the 2015 in the Syrian war, where at least one was shot down causing the death of the crew. It is therefore likely that production will stop in favor of a more modern aircraft such as the Ka.52 ALLIGATOR (photo below).
(photo: MoD Fed in Russia)
