Russia’s New Mi-28N Gunship Has Manoeuvrability Nearly Twice That Of Predecessor

Russian Helicopters’ new Mi-28N gunship outperforms its predecessor, the Mi-24, with increased manoeuvrability and overload handling, a senior test pilot said Thursday.

"The Mi-28N helicopter’s manoeuvrability capabilities have been expanded almost by two times compared to the Mi-24. The Mi-28 is capable of a roll angle of up to 70 degrees compared to 45-60 degrees for the Mi-24," Vladimir Khorev, senior test pilot of Russian Helicopters, was quoted as saying by TASS.

The senior test pilot added that the Mi-28 outshines the Mi-24 by permissible overloads.

"The same is true for the overload: we can have a vertical load factor of 1.8 aboard the Mi-24 compared to 2.8 for the Mi-28. The pitching motion is also twice as much: up to 30 degrees on board the Mi-24 and up to 60 degrees aboard the Mi-28," he explained.

The Mi-28N 'Night Hunter' is a serial-produced attack helicopter designated to search for and destroy enemy hardware, including tanks, as well as manpower and low-speed air targets. The helicopter has a crew of two: a pilot and a flight navigator. The Mi-28N can develop a maximum speed of 300 km/h and its take-off weight exceeds 11 tonnes. The gunship is armed with a 30mm gun and can carry both missiles and rockets.