Russia Deploys Mi-28NM Helicopters Armed With Ataka Missiles To Destroy Leopard And Abrams Tanks

Russia Deploys Mi-28NM Helicopters Armed With Ataka Missiles To Destroy Leopard And Abrams Tanks

Moskow - Russia immediately responded to the delivery of tanks to Ukraine by European countries by deploying Mil Mi-28NM Havoc helicopters. Even Mil Mi-28NM attack helicopters have been seen in Ukraine with the new 9M120 anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) weapon nicknamed Ataka.

Quoted from Bulgarian Military, Mi-28NM helicopters were seen in Ukraine on January 14, 2023, a few days before the decision to send tanks to Ukraine. Russia was apparently impressed with the helicopters and ordered 100 of them, even though they should enter service in 2027.

Russia deployed Mi-28NM helicopters to counter the arrival of Western tank shipments. The Challenger 2 and Leopard tanks will come from Ukraine's European allies (Britain and Germany), and the Abrams tanks will be supplied from the United States.

“The Mi-28NM helicopter is the latest modification of the Mi-28N. Its capabilities have been improved, including maneuverability. The helicopter uses high-precision weapons and has a new control system with elements of artificial intelligence," Russian military expert Dmitry Litovkin told Bulgarian Military, Monday (30/1/2023).

The main weapon of the Mi-28NM helicopter is the 9M120 anti-tank missile (ATGM) nicknamed Ataka. The Ataka missile has a range of 25 km and has been proven on the battlefield in Syria. The Ataka missile is specifically designed to kill heavily armored fighting vehicles, such as tanks, armored personnel carriers and anti-tank self-propelled guns. The Ataka missile uses combined guidance in the form of inertial, satellite and optical guidance.

The Mi-28NM helicopter can fire two different variants of the 9M120 Ataka missile. The first version is a two-stage missile with a tandem warhead. The second version is a missile with a missile, but designed to be launched from ground-based launchers.

The 9M120 Ataka missile is housed under the wing of a Russian Mi-28NM helicopter, in a glass-reinforced plastic tube that also serves as its launcher. “The Mi-28NM helicopter with Ataka missiles can be used in various formations and reacts quickly,” said Dmitry Litovkin.

The Mi-28NM helicopter is a complex war machine and allows the use of weapons at any time and in any weather conditions. This Havoc helicopter provides the possibility of group use in combat.

This capability is supported by a new locator (onboard radar) providing a circular view, located in the spherical fairing above the main rotor axis of the Mi-28NM helicopter. This device allows scanning of the airspace at an angle of 90 degrees horizontally and 44 degrees (vertically).

The ability to detect these targets without opening the helicopter's position reduces the risk to both crews. One of the important improvements of the Mi-28NM helicopter is dual control, if the pilot is injured or killed, the helicopter can still be controlled by the navigator.

The helicopter can operate in simple and complex weather conditions, and fly in manual and automatic modes. For the safety of the crew in the event of an accident, the cabin door is removed and the emergency ladder is inflated when the pilot leaves the helicopter.

The new cabin was airtight, ventilated, air-conditioned and had armor protection, including a frontal armored glass that could withstand 12.7mm rounds. Plus the armored partition between the crew members minimizes the possibility of simultaneous death of both pilots. The hull armor can withstand a 20mm bullet.