The first Mi-28UB helicopters were produced at Rostvertol company of the Russian Helicopters Holding (the part of State Corporation "Rostec"). Machines is undergoing user acceptance testing at the company. It is planned to deliver 8 Night Hunters with dual control before the end of this year.
The Mi-28UB, designed for the Russian Aerospace Forces, passed state tests successfully. As a result, batch manufacturing of this vehicle began at the plant in Rostov in 2016. Thus the helicopter, alongside its primary objective, can be used for flight instruction and for training flight personnel. The creation of dual control helicopters is the logical continuation of developing the concept of an attack army helicopter.
"Production of the first Mi-28UB batch is an extremely important event not only for Rosvertol and Russian Helicopters but also for our colleagues from the Russian Ministry of Defense. The delivery of modernized Night Hunters will begin soon. 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 main difference of Mi-28UB from a classical Night Hunter is the dual control system that allows piloting the helicopter from both command cockpit and operator's cockpit. There are other special characteristics. For example, ergonomics is enhanced significantly: energy-attenuating seats with improved characteristics are installed in the cockpit; they can absorb shock energy in case of crash landing. Airborne avionics and communication tools have also been changed, and this increased the helicopter's reliability, safety and performance specifications significantly.
The Mi-28UB, as well as its predecessor, preserves its maneuvering capability and can carry out military tasks at any time of the day or night. The Mi-28UB can be used for fire support of land advanced units and antitank defense. The helicopter possesses improved armor protection and is characterized by high tolerance to battle damage and equipped with a large weapon system.
The main customer of OJSC Rostvertol is the Russian Ministry of Defense. In accordance with the approved schedule, the company delivers the whole line of produced helicopters to the Ministry and modernizes equipment produced for the Russian Ministry of Defense in cooperation with Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and under the guidance of Russian Helicopters.
Rostec Corporation is a Russian corporation that was established in 2007 to facilitate the development, production and export of high-tech industrial products designed for civilian and military applications. The Corporation comprises over 700 organizations that are currently part of eleven holding companies operating in the military-industrial complex and three holding companies working in the civilian industry, as well as over 80 directly managed organizations. Rostec’s portfolio includes well-known brands such as AVTOVAZ, KAMAZ, Kalashnikov Concern, Russian Helicopters, VSMPO AVISMA, UralVagonZavod, etc. Rostec companies are located in 60 constituent entities of the Russian Federation and supply products to more than 70 countries. In 2016, the consolidated revenue of Rostec reached 1 trillion 266 billion rubles, while the consolidated net income and EBITDA amounted to 88 and 268 billion rubles respectively. In 2016, the average salary in the Corporation was 44,000 rubles. According to Rostec’s strategy, the main objective of the Corporation is to ensure that Russia has a technological advantage in highly competitive global markets. Rostec’s key objectives include the introduction of a new techno-economic paradigm and the digitalization of the Russian economy.
JSC Russian Helicopters (part of Rostec State Corporation), is one of the world leaders in helicopter industry, the only developer and manufacturer of helicopters in Russia. The holding company was established in 2007. The head office is located in Moscow. The holding company is comprised of five helicopter plants, two design bureaus, enterprises for production and maintenance of components, aircraft repair plants and a service company providing after-sales support in Russia and abroad. Among the buyers of the holding company's products are Defense Ministry of Russia, Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, EMERCOM of Russia, and other state customers, Gazprom Avia and UTair airlines, as well as major Russian and foreign companies. In 2016, the revenue of Russian Helicopters under IFRS amounted to RUB 214.3 billion, its shipments totaled to 189 helicopters.
