Comparing modern military equipment is a thankless task. All other things being equal, in a real battle, a lot is decided by chance and not so much the characteristics inherent in the weapon, as its skillful use. But we will try anyway, because everyone is so interested - who is cooler, our Mi-28N and Ka-52 or their Apache?
It is clear that comparing the most modern combat helicopters in the world is a topic that has given rise to a great many "holy wars" on Internet forums. So we will try to summarize only the most important points.
Video: Ka-50
Mi-28N and AN-64 Apache against Ka-52
The first thing to consider is the main rotor circuit diagram. Mi-28N and AN-64 Apache are built on a classical basis, with one main rotor and one tail rotor. In contrast to them, the Ka-52 is based on an extremely rare and technically complex coaxial scheme, with two propellers that simultaneously perform the functions of both flight and taxiing. Such a scheme gives a gain in power, increasing the available flight ceiling by 100-200 m, which in mountainous terrain can be extremely useful. And the absence of a tail rotor has a good effect on the reliability of work among mountain slopes.
In addition, the helicopter becomes more compact in length. But his profile increases in height, so the win is rather doubtful. Flight control is slightly improved, which makes it possible for the Ka-52 to make the famous "Funnel" figure - rotating around the aiming point, continuously pouring fire on it. However, all this is not so essential to talk about the serious advantages of the coaxial scheme over the classical single-rotor.
The difference is much greater in something else. The fact is that armored vehicles are considered the main enemy of helicopters, but any modern tank has air defense systems that are effective at distances of up to 6 km. A helicopter in this area has a few seconds to detect and recognize a target and shoot at it. During this time, you can only shoot from a cannon, the rocket needs more.
The Americans solved this problem by using bundles of 1 reconnaissance and target designation helicopter along with several attack vehicles. A light scout literally sneaks close to the enemy, it is much more difficult to detect and hit him than the AN-64 Apache shock strikes that remain outside the range of the tank's air defense. He transmits a signal - and only after that the Apaches strike.
The direct predecessor of the Ka-52, the Black Shark Ka-50, was also designed for such a scheme of actions. This made it both easier and more maneuverable, getting rid of one crew member and focusing on the means of exchanging information between helicopters in a group. However, the Soviet (and now - Russian) industry still cannot produce a light reconnaissance vehicle suitable for such purposes. The Ka-50 (and along with them the descendants of the Ka-52) were quickly transferred to a different style of combat, using the Vikhr missile system, capable of operating from a distance of up to 10 km. However, at "Whirlwind" at night this effective distance is reduced to the same fatal 6 km, and the laser missile guidance system is not very reliable.
Video: Mi-28N
The Mi-28N was originally a simpler and cheaper option. The two-cockpit layout made it possible to accommodate both the pilot and the gunner operator, who takes care of all the shooting. And the Attack complex installed on this helicopter, operating at distances of up to 6-8 km, using a more reliable radio command guidance method (the Americans also upgraded their AN-64 Apache missiles with the Hellfire AGM-114B radio command guidance system).
An important element of both Russian helicopters is the Arbalet airborne radar, which performs reconnaissance and target designation tasks for which a whole separate helicopter is allocated in the American approach (Bell OH-58D Kiowa). This seemingly insignificant detail makes the Ka-52 and Mi-28N weapons of a completely new level - all-weather. The radar provides target detection and recognition, route mapping, target designation to missiles, and supports low-altitude flight. On the Mi-28N and Ka-52, the radar is installed above the propeller hub - as in the all-weather version of the AN-64 Apache, the notorious Longbow.
But the American radar station is not capable of solving the tasks of aerobatics and navigation, while the Crossbow can. The Mi-28N is considered the only helicopter in the world capable of such a trick: even at night and in poor weather conditions, switching to automatic mode, fly around the terrain, at an altitude of 5 m at night, while searching, identifying and destroying targets, simultaneously conducting target designation for other participants in the battle. Impressive.
Still, America's most disturbing advantage is electronics. According to some reports, among the 13 thousand electronic components that are installed on the Mi-28N, more than 70% were developed 15 and more years ago. The modern avionics of the Apache make it possible to work faster and more efficiently with targets, and even rank them in order of importance, which reduces the time that a helicopter needs to spend within the reach of enemy air defense systems. (Such "smart" missile control systems are also used in Russia - for example, in the Granit anti-ship missiles, which you can read about in the article "Peter Morskoy"). Electronics itself will distinguish an ordinary vehicle from an anti-aircraft gun and will choose the desired target itself.
Mi-28N vs AN-64 Apache
As for the rest, Apache is very similar to the Mi-28N. But rather, on the contrary, since the Mi-28Ns were created on the basis of one of the most successful Soviet Mi-8 helicopters, and with an eye on American competitors. Both have a non-retractable landing gear and tail support. Both carry a pair of engines located in nacelles on the sides of the fuselage. For both, the crew is located in tandem - one slightly behind and above the other. In the Ka-52, by the way, two crew members sit side by side, which is considered a disadvantage, reducing the view and increasing the frontal projection of the vehicle.
In comparison with the AN-64 Apache, the Mi-28N is almost 3 tons heavier, but its engines are also more powerful, which even gives it an advantage in maximum combat load and in flight characteristics. In addition, the view from the cockpit of the Mi-28N is better, but convex glass is installed in the AN-64 Apache, which does not create glare that can interfere with the work with the instruments. These helicopters are even outwardly easy to confuse.
If we compare the cannon armament, then the advantage here will be more likely for the Mi-28N, although it is not too significant. Both he and Apache are armed with movable automatic single-barreled guns of 30 mm caliber. The American M230 cannon weighing 54 kg provides a rate of fire of 625 rounds per minute, with an effective firing range of 3 km. It is believed that this gun is not very accurate and not powerful enough.
The Mi-28N is equipped with a modified 2A42 tank gun, old and proven. It is noticeably heavier than the American one and has a serious impact. However, the helicopter designers coped with the last problem, achieving accuracy even higher than that of the American competitor. But, having solved a number of difficulties, they received the most powerful helicopter gun in the world: the projectile weight and muzzle velocity are almost twice that of the M230, the firing range is 4 km, and the rate of fire is up to 900 rounds per minute. The projectile fired from the Mi-28N pierces 15-mm armor from a 1.5-kilometer distance.
In addition, the 2A42 cannon is extremely reliable and practically does not overheat: unlike the AN-64 Apache, the Mi-28N is capable of completely releasing its entire ammunition load without interruptions for cooling. Finally, the shooter himself chooses the type of projectile - armor-piercing or high-explosive fragmentation.
There are also some differences in rockets. The main "tool" of both helicopters is anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), each carrying 16 of them suspended on external nodes. A supersonic high-precision missile "Attack-V" with radio command guidance, which we have already mentioned, was created for the Mi-28N. Such missiles work in both smoke and dust, which scatters laser beams, interfering with missiles with "conventional" laser guidance. And the new version of the Ataka-D missile has a range of up to 10 km.
The most important instrument of the AN-64 Apache is the Hellfire AGM-114A laser-guided missiles and the AGM-114B radar-guided missiles. The helicopter can accept both types of missiles, and the crew gets the opportunity to choose the appropriate option right during the battle. Their range of action is 6-7 km, but, unlike Russian missiles, Hellfire is subsonic. The missiles take 15 seconds to reach the target 4 km away, while the Russian ones need 1.5 times less.
But in general, all this is more like games from the series "find the ten differences": all three machines have approximately the same characteristics and belong to the same generation. So, it’s impossible to make an unambiguous conclusion about "who is cooler". As mentioned at the beginning of this article, everything is decided by skillful application and, of course, fate.
