Thursday, July 03, 2014

The world is burning news. Iraqi Shiite Army receives Mi-28NE Attack Helicopters.


via Janes...
Iraq has taken delivery of its first batch of Mil Mi-28NE 'Havoc' (Night Hunter) attack helicopters, as well as additional Mil Mi-35M 'Hind' assault helicopters, Russian state media announced on 2 July.
The first three Mi-28NE helicopters and four new Mi-35M helicopters arrived in-country aboard Antonov An-124 'Condor' transport aircraft, a military-diplomatic source reportedly told the ITAR-TASS news agency.
The report continued that all the helicopters had been delivered in a combat configuration, and were fully night-vision capable. According to Rostvertol figures recently seen by IHS Jane's , the Iraqi Army Aviation Command, which is part of the Iraqi Army and operates all the country's military helicopters, is set to receive a final total of 15 Mi-28NEs and 28 Mi-35Ms. Four of the latter are already in service.
The Mi-28N/Mi-28NE is an all-weather day-and-night anti-armour and anti-personnel attack platform that has only recently entered service with the Russian armed forces.
Similar in appearance to the Boeing AH-64 Apache, the Mi-28N is equipped with a mast-mounted, 360 o -scan, millimetre-wave radar, as well as a nose-mounted forward looking infrared (FLIR) turret. The tandem cockpit is heavily armoured to provide a high level of ballistic protection for the two crew members, and its two TV3-117VMA turbo-shaft engines provide added redundancy should either be hit by ground fire.
The Mi-28NE's weapons package includes: an under-nose, turret-mounted 2A42 30 mm cannon (with 250 rounds in side-mounted boxes); 9M114 Shturm (AT-6 'Spiral') or 9M120/9M121F Vikhr/Ataka-V (AT-12 'Swinger') air-to-surface missiles; 9M39 Igla-V (SA-16 'Gimlet') and R-73 air-to-air missiles; S-8 and S-13 rockets; and UPK-23-250V 23 mm gun pods.

The arrival of the Mi-28NEs and additional Mi-35Ms will provide an added boost to the Iraqi government's efforts to combat the Islamic State.
I remember the threat briefs we got on these helicopters (before your time young ones....look up CIA Briefs on Soviet Threat Weapons).  They were thought to be the Russian version of the Apache and a pure ground support platform.  The KA-52 was thought to be a dog fighter that would be an air to air platform to take out our attack helicopters (one of the reasons why the Super Cobra originally received Sidewinders...and of course the threat from fighters too)

Regardless.  This helicopter is a beast!

It might be similar to the Apache but its bigger and more heavily armored and armed.

Additionally it supposedly carries a pretty intense electronics suite for a helicopter and should serve the Shiite's well in their fight against the Sunni's (I have changed my designation of the "Iraqi Army"....This is a civil war and once again we're getting in the middle of a fight).