Russia
Launches Production of New Military Helicopter
 |
RIA
Novosti |
MOSCOW (RIA
Novosti) — First-stage flight testing of next-generation attack
helicopters for the Russian Air Force has been completed and the
choppers will soon be in service, an official said.
Head of the
Air Force press service Alexander Drobyshevsky said that the Mi-28N
Night Hunter had completed its first test flights, and the Rostov
Helicopter Plant (Rosvertol) will launch full-scale production
in the immediate future.
The company
will initially produce 20 Mi-28Ns under a three-year contract
with the Air Force, the official said.
According
to Drobyshevsky, a serial model of the Mi-28N Night Hunter conducted
its first flight in late December and has made 140 flights since
then.
The helicopter
is primarily designed to locate and destroy enemy armored vehicles,
personnel, small surface ships, low-speed air targets and fortifications
and to lay mine fields day or night in adverse weather conditions.
High reliability
and powerful weaponry make the chopper competitive on global aircraft
markets, the Rosvertol press service said. Military experts said
helicopter’s effectiveness was four to five times higher than
of any existing helicopters of its type.