(
Algiers) While the Western world liberals bemoan their region's defence industry, Russia, it appears, has no qualms about selling what it wants, when it wants, to whom it wants. Which is why Algeria last month signed a deal for 42 of Russia's version of the
Apache helicopter gunship, the
Mil Mi-28N (Night Hunter), a nasty piece of work, if ever there was one. While of a similar category to the AH-64D, it is a lot newer to the playing field. (
While it first flew in 1984, it wasn't taken into service until 2009.)
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| Mil Mi-28N |
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| Mil Mi-28N |
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| Mil Mi-28N |
Developed as a successor of the famous Mi-24 Hind, the Mi-28, known to NATO as Havoc, is a tandem two-seat helicopter optimized for the anti-tank role. The Mi-28 has a conventional helicopter gunship layout with the pilot in the rear and gunner in front. It is armed with a 30-mm trainable cannon housed in a turret under the nose. Twin 150-round ammunition boxes are co-mounted to traverse, elevate and depress with the gun itself. A total of 300 rounds are carried. The gun is identical to that of Russian BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle and uses the same ammunition. This gunship can also carry two pods with 80-mm unguided rockets and 16 anti-tank guided missiles. It is claimed that the Mi-28N cannot be defeated by a single short-range anti-aircraft missile. The crew compartment is very well armoured. It has been designed to withstand hits from 12.7-mm armour-piercing rounds and 20-mm high explosive rounds. For some strange reason the Mi-28 lost out to the competing
Kamov Ka-50 Hokum for the title of Russian helicopter gunship.
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| Ka-50 |
However, the foreign market saw otherwise, and currently
4 different air forces field the Mi-28N, where the official Russian gunship is only fielded by... Russia. I wonder why the left never opine about Russian arms sales?
