Russian Western Military District to be reinforced with 20 new military helicopters by 2015-end

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World Defense & Security News - Russia
 
 
 
Russian Western Military District to be reinforced with 20 new helicopters by 2015-end
 
Over 20 attack helicopters will boost the Russian Armed Forces on the country’s western border by the end of 2015, the senior spokesperson of Russia’s Western Military District said Tuesday, June 30 2015. The Russian Army will be reinforced with new Mi-28Ns, Mi-26Ts and Mi-8MTV-5s equipped with cutting-edge electronics.
     
Over 20 attack helicopters will boost the Russian Armed Forces on the country’s western border by the end of 2015, the senior spokesperson of Russia’s Western Military District said Tuesday, June 30 2015. The Russian Army will be reinforced with new Mi-28Ns, Mi-26Ts and Mi-8MTV-5s equipped with cutting-edge electronics. Mil Mi-28N Havoc attack helicopters
     
"New army aircraft are equipped with cutting-edge electronics that allow them to perform training and combat tasks 24 hours a day in any weather conditions," the District’s press service chief, Col. Oleg Kochetkov said.

New Mi-28Ns, Mi-26Ts and Mi-8MTV5s, manufactured by the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, will go into service in Russia's westernmost regions of Leningrad, Pskov and Smolensk.

The announcement comes amid increased tensions as a result of the US-led NATO military presence increase on Russia’s border in Eastern Europe.

The Russian Western Military District is one of the four operational strategic commands of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was formed in Presidential Decree n°1144 signed on September 20, 2010. The district includes the Baltic Fleet and the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy.

The Mi-8MTV-5 military transport helicopters are produced at Kazan Helicopters (a Russian Helicopters company). They are designed to carry out a wide range of operations: both military and transport missions. The helicopters are equipped with the latest avionics, radio communications and specialised hardware. Almost 493 Mi-8 of different variant are currently in service in the Russian Armed Forces, and 123 additional rotorcraft are on order.

Forty Mi-26 helicopters are in service in the Russian Army, and 22 additional helos have been ordered. The Mil Mi-26 (NATO reporting name: Halo) is a Russian heavy transport helicopter designed by the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant which is in service with several different civilian and military operators. It is the largest and most powerful helicopter to have gone into series production. The Mi-26 heavy transport helicopter is designed to airlift troops and material, and transport cargoes inside or outside the fuselage.

The Mil Mi-28 is a Russian all-weather, day-night, military tandem, two-seat anti-armor attack helicopter. It is a dedicated attack helicopter with no intended secondary transport capability, better optimized than the Mil Mi-24 gunship for the role. The Mi-28N Havoc is an all weather day-night versioneEquipped with a top-mounted millimeter wave radar station, thermographic camera-TV, and a laser rangefinder, and powered by two Russian Klimov TV3-117VMA-SB3 engines (2,500 hp each), produced by the Ukrainian Motor-Sich. Eighty-four Mi-28s are currently in service in Russia, on at least 109 rotorcraft ordered.