Where is the Russian Apache?
Russia can still be proud of its attack helicopters, especially the new Mi-28N and Ka-52 aircraft. Each of them has already been built in a fairly solid series of more than a hundred units. Like any new technology, these helicopters faced numerous "growing pains" and required a long-term refinement. The most interesting commentary on the problems of the Mi-28N was given in 2017 by ex-commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces Viktor Bondarev. “The electronics are a failure: the pilot does not see anything, the pilot does not hear anything. These glasses, which they wear, they call "death to the pilots". The sky is cloudless - everything is fine, but if there is some kind of smoke - they walk with red eyes for three days,”the statesman said at the time.
However, we repeat, these difficulties should not be considered insoluble. The further evolution of the 28th seems to be a much more complex and interesting question. And there is room for evolution.
Consider the American Apache. Quite often one could hear about the superiority of the Mi-28N over this machine, and for some reason they took the "ancient" AH-64A for comparison. Meanwhile, it's time to openly say that the VKS have no direct analogue of the AH-64D Longbow. The main advantage of this helicopter is the presence of the AN / APG-78 millimeter-wave radar, which is located in a streamlined container above the main rotor hub. It allows you to identify targets on the ground with high efficiency, and most importantly, to use AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire missiles with an active radar homing head. Unlike other "Hellfires", as well as domestic "Attacks" and "Whirlwinds" AGM-114L operates on the principle of "fire and forget". In the context of the modern development of anti-aircraft weapons, this is perhaps the only hope for a helicopter to survive in a serious military conflict.
There are only Miles
The Mi-28NM helicopter could become a "Russian Longbow". Well, or at least come close to its capabilities. Unlike the combatant Mi-28N, the new Mil was supposed to receive a standard nadulochny radar station of the H025 type. In addition, the Mi-28NM was equipped with a duplicated control system that allows the navigator-operator to control the combat vehicle. The advantage of the novelty was also called the resistance to combat damage, which was achieved through the use of new materials and design solutions. So, for the manufacture of rotor blades, composite materials were used, which, according to the developers, are able to withstand the impact of shells with a caliber of up to 30 mm. This, by the way, makes the combat vehicle even more related to the latest version of the Apache, the AH-64E Apache Guardian, whose propeller is also made of the latest composites.
A simple aviation fan, however, will be most interested in a significantly changed appearance. The fact is that, in comparison with the Mi-28N, the new Mi-28NM helicopter was not equipped with a nasal radio command antenna for the ATGM ATGM. Therefore, the helicopter received smooth bow contours, which, however, gave its appearance some comicism (the latter, of course, is a very subjective view).
At first, the Russian Ministry of Defense showed the highest interest in the new product. However, gradually the news about the combat vehicle became less and less. And in February 2019, Interfax, citing a military source, reported that the army had abandoned the Mi-28NM, which, however, was not officially confirmed, but did not begin to deny either. The reason is trivial: the cost of the winged machine. “Despite repeated attempts by the military to reduce the price of the production vehicle, the Russian Helicopters holding refused to accept the terms of the Ministry of Defense,” the agency's source said.
Allegedly, the military abandoned the helicopter almost at the last moment. However, Mil's achievements will not necessarily go to waste: “instead of costly purchases of new helicopters from the Russian Helicopters holding, it is possible to modernize the existing Night Hunters, bringing their main characteristics to the level of the Mi-28NM, or to work out the issue of a corresponding increase in purchases of Ka- 52 , - said the source. In addition, it cannot be ruled out that the Ministry of Defense and aircraft manufacturers will agree on the price of new aircraft, but in the light of modern financial problems, this is rather an illusion.
But there is one more side to this issue. In fact, the refusal of the Mi-28NM (unless, of course, the military has really completely lost interest in the project) does not mean a point in the evolution of the Mi-28N. Earlier, the Aerospace Forces have already received the first batch of Mi-28UB helicopters, which, either jokingly or seriously, is called the “Apache for the Poor”. Recall that two helicopters were received by the personnel of the 344th Center at Rostvertol on November 9, 2017.
In general, we have in front of us a car quite worthy for its time. In the presence of a radar station H025 in an over-sleeve fairing, dual control and improved ergonomics of the seats. In short, much of what was supposed to appear on the production Mi-28NM. Otherwise, this is the same Mi-28N, which, perhaps, again, cannot be considered a minus, since a reasonable unification of aircraft is always good.
Finally, even if the Aerospace Forces received a batch of Mi-28NM, as previously assumed, the success would be only half-hearted. And now the Aerospace Forces are experiencing great difficulties with advanced aviation weapons. Obsolete ATGMs with an inconvenient and sometimes frankly archaic control system are a particularly interesting question. If the defense industry can create a large air bomb or cruise missile, then improving the characteristics of anti-tank missiles while maintaining their dimensions is a very big problem, apparently. In fact, here not only the Russian, but also the entire post-Soviet military-industrial complex has been marking time for decades.
In all fairness, it's not all bad. So, at the Army-2018 forum, the promising Mi-28NE was shown with the Chrysanthemum with a two-channel guidance system - a laser beam and a radio channel. The declared range is impressive - ten kilometers. However, now you will hardly surprise anyone with this: almost all new ATGMs have approximately the same target engagement range.
In general, as you can see, there were more than enough reasons for refusing to build the Mi-28NM. And the price, it must be assumed, has become an important, but not the only reason why the military reacted coolly to Mil's new development. Obviously, in order to determine the further evolution of Russian attack helicopters, a number of important industry problems will have to be solved. This is the creation of new aircraft weapons, and improving the quality of optics (a traditional problem), and increasing the level of integration of rotorcraft into a single information field. The same thing that is now called "network centricity". And each of these issues is so serious that it obviously requires separate consideration.
