Russia’s First ‘Digital’ Gunship to Complete Tests In A Year

The official testing of Russia’s first “digital” gunship, the MI-24P-1M equipped with new generation onboard electronic equipment will be completed within a year’s time, a representative for the Russian Defence Ministry contractor's company KRET said.

"The Russian Defence Ministry created a technical task for us. According to this document, we made the first model of the upgraded MI-24P-1M. We have already taken the vehicle from the military unit. The helicopter will be tested over the year to check all of its capabilities,” the KRET representative was quoted as saying by Sputnik on Tuesday.

Earliest versions of these gunships were commissioned in 1976. The modernized version reportedly has 90 percent of its hardware and systems were replaced or upgraded. It was presented at the recently concluded MAKS-2019 air show.

"Almost everything here is upgraded. Starting with cabin and navigation systems along with communication devices and finishing with weapon control systems. A cutting edge onboard defence system is also installed in this machine: full-cycle autopilot, self-controlled search and destroy system,” the representative noted.