MOSCOW, November 22. /TASS/. Some countries, including Armenia, Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) show a keen interest in Russia’s cutting-edge Ka-52M and Mi-28NE attack helicopters, CEO of the Russian Helicopters rotorcraft manufacturer Andrei Boginsky told TASS on Monday.
At the Dubai Airshow 2021 international aviation exhibition held in the United Arab Emirates on November 14-18, foreign customers displayed a high interest in the latest Ka-52M and Mi-28NE strike rotorcraft, the chief executive said.
"There were delegations from Armenia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mauritania, the UAE and Saudi Arabia [at the airshow]. Colleagues from Rosoboronexport [Russia’s state weapons exporter] are actively working on the promotion and we are satisfied with the result that we have," Boginsky said.
The demonstration of the Mi-28NE ‘Night Hunter’ gunship was a major world premiere at the Dubai Airshow 2021. Russia never showcased this combat helicopter at international airshows before. The Ka-52 ‘Alligator’ attack helicopter was also demonstrated at the Dubai Airshow for the first time. These two helicopters participated in the airshow’s flight program to demonstrate aerobatic stunts and maneuvers employed in a real aerial battle.
The Ka-52M is an upgraded version of the Ka-52 ‘Alligator’ gunship. As the gunship’s designers say, the Ka-52M missile armament has been standardized with the weapons suite of the Mi-28NM helicopter, another state-of-the-art Russian attack gunship, which has helped increase the target destruction range considerably. The Ka-52M is also furnished with a new phased array radar station and longer-range missiles. The upgraded gunship prototype performed its debut flight on August 10, 2020.
The Mi-28NE is designated to destroy aerial targets, tanks and armor and can also be employed for reconnaissance and patrols. Its armament includes a flexible 30mm gun, three types of anti-tank missiles with a range of 6 km and 10 km, air-to-air missiles, two types of rockets and air bombs weighing up to 500 kg. The gunship’s rotor blades can withstand strikes by 30mm shells. The attack helicopter operates two increased-capacity 2,400 hp engines, features enhanced survivability and the armored glass cockpit. The combat helicopter is capable of effectively accomplishing assigned tasks in hot climates with its new screen-exhaust and dust protection technology.