Russian Troops To Get Mi-38T Choppers This Year

Russian troops will begin receiving the new Mil Mi-38T transport and troop landing helicopter in 2019, Air Force Commander, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Russia’s Aerospace Force Sergei Dronov said on Monday.

“Mi-38T and Mi-28NM helicopters will be delivered to the Russian troops this year,” Dronov said during an interview with the Defense Ministry’s Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.

"The Mi-38 is a transport and troop landing helicopter with modern piloting and navigation equipment, a navigation satellite system and a navigational weather radar,” he said, enlisting the new features of the chopper.

The Mi-38T was created on the basis of a certified civil helicopter Mi-38 with retrofitting to solve transport-landing tasks. The helicopter provides the possibility of installation of additional fuel tanks to increase the flight range.

In May 2019, reports suggested that an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) based on the Mi-38 Helicopter is planned to be set up for the Russian aerospace forces.

The Mi-38 is equipped with new domestic TV7-117V engines, an integrated digital flight-navigation system with data indication on five LCD displays, an explosion-proof protected fuel system. Also, the helicopter was equipped with additional supports on the landing gear for landing on soft ground and snow.

The areas of use of the Mi-38 helicopters are cargo and passenger transportation, search and rescue operations, VIP transportation.