ROSTOV-ON-DON, August 10 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian Defense Ministry will procure up to 60 Mi-28UB helicopters to improve the training of pilots for Mi-28N gunships, the Air Force commander said.
The Mi-28UB is a combat training variant of the Mi-28N Night Hunter attack helicopter that can be operated both from the pilot's cockpit and the flight instructor's cockpit as it is equipped with a dual hydromechanical flight control system.
“We will purchase four to six [Mi-28UB] helicopters for each unit that has Mi-28N in service,” Lt. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said Friday after attending a Mi-28UB demonstration flight at Rostvertol plant, which manufactures both Mi-28N and Mi-28UB helicopters.
“We are planning to procure up to 60 [Mi-28UB] helicopters until 2020,” Bondarev said, adding that the new version would significantly speed up and improve pilot training.
Mi-28N is the latest modification of the Mi-28 Havoc attack helicopter. It has been designed to conduct hunter-killer missions against main battle tanks, helicopters, ground forces, and fortified defense positions in any weather conditions, day and night.
Russia's Defense Ministry has said it is planning to procure between 45 and 67 Mi-28Ns, and to fully replace the Mi-24 Hind helicopters with Mi-28Ns in the Armed Forces by 2015.
