The Russian Rosvertol company completed production of the first newly modernized Mi-28UB ‘Night Hunter’ attack helicopter toward delivery to the Russian military. The production started at the Rostov plant in 2016 with against an order of Mi-28UB helicopter for the Russian Air Force; the first units are currently undergoing acceptance tests and the rest will be delivered by the end of the year.

Unlike the standard attack helicopter, the UB has dual controls in the front and back seats, to enable better training of flight personnel. The modernized helicopter also offers improved avionics, ergonomics and energy attenuating seats, improving crew survivability in case of crashes or hard landings. The helicopter possesses improved armor protection and is characterized by high tolerance to battle damage.

“The Mi-28 proved its efficiency, so we are expecting that its training version will be of great demand in armies. This dual control helicopter breaks new ground for training flight personnel for machines of this type,” said Andrey Boginsky, CEO of the Russian Helicopters holding.

The Mi-28UB retains the Night Hunter’s full combat capabilities in day or night and the full array of armaments originally designed for the Mi-28.

Mi-28UB is the new dual control version of the Night Hunter attack helicopter designed for pilot training. The helicopter retains full combat capability with all systems and weapons. Photo: Rostec, by Eric Romanenko