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On the Record with
BORIS SLYUSAR, GENERAL DIRECTOR, ROSTVERTOL HELICOPTER PLANT
'Night Hunter' to join Apache and Tiger Breeds
While the American AH-64D Apache Longbow flies at Farnborough, the Russians have postponed the planned public debut here of the brand-new Mil Mi-28N 'Night Hunter' all-weather attack helicopter.
"We planned to show the Mi-28N at the Farnborough 2004, but had to cancel as the testing program overlaps with the airshow timeframe," Rostvertol helicopter plant general director Boris Slyusar told Show News.
This spring, as the Mi-28N prototype made its maiden flight, senior Russian air force officials made clear their ambition to introduce into service up to 50 Mi-28Ns by 2010, with an eye to an eventual buy of around 300 units. Slyusar is skeptical about the size of the government order, expecting only some 35-40 helicopters up to 2010.
Frozen for a decade, the Mi-28N program is finally finding favor with the Russian defense ministry, and shifting into high gear. A derivative of the original Mi-28 Havoc, which first flew as long ago as 1982, it features upgraded avionics and sensor systems to provide a genuine all-weather capability, with the inclusion of FLIR and mast-mounted millimeter-wave radar.
The project dates back to the Soviet era, as the Mi-28 was developed to succeed the Mi-24 Hind in the attack role. Research and development on the definitive Mi-28N started in 1993, and the first prototype flew in April 1997. But work on Mi-28N coincided with the tough times for Russia, when the military budget was cut dramatically, and as a result the development program has dragged on for a decade.
According to Slyusar, Rostvertol has launched a production batch of three Mi-28Ns—two will join test program, and one will be delivered to the Russian army. Full-scale production is slated to begin in 2006.
Slyusar believes the 'Night Hunter' has some export potential, "For the international sales we can install foreign equipment on Mi-28Ns," he said. An Mi-28NEh (Ehksport: Export) version was offered to South Korea in 2000, and was evaluated by the Swedish army a year later.
Privately-owned Rostvertol has traditionally been associated with the manufacture of Mil-designed helicopters. Located in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, it produces and upgrades the heavylift Mi-26 transport and Mi-24/Mi-35M Hind attack helicopters. According to Slyusar, in 2003 around 75% of revenue was generated by orders from foreign customers, while the rest cash flow originated from Russian air force orders.
Rostvertol is now preparing for a partial share sale to the Russian Ministry of State Property, a move that will see the government acquire a 3.6% stake. "The cash generated will be used for further investment in the Mi-28N," said Slyusar.
—Artem Fetisov
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