MOSCOW. Jan 27 (Interfax-AVN) - A new batch of MI-24PN Hind transport and combat helicopters intended for nighttime operations will be commissioned by the Russian Air Force in February or March 2004, chief of the Air Force press service Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky said on Tuesday.
"This year's first batch of five MI-24PN helicopters will be handed over to the Air Force on January 28. The next batch of these aircraft will be transferred in February or March 2004," Drobyshevsky told Interfax-Military News Agency.
The five MI-24PN strike helicopters will be commissioned by Air Force Staff representatives led by Major General Dmitry Morozov, Air Force deputy commander-in-chief for armament. The transfer ceremony will take place in Rostov-on-Don. The helicopters will be initially sent to the 334th army aviation personnel training and retraining center in the town of Torzhok in the Tver region.
"Specialists of the center will draft all necessary instructions for operating the upgraded helicopters in regular army aviation units. Following this, troops will start receiving MI-24PNs," Drobyshevsky said.
Lieutenant General Alexander Zelin, Air Force deputy commander-in-chief, earlier told Interfax-AVN that "the 4th Air Force/Air Defense Army stationed in the North Caucasus will be the first to get MI-24PN helicopters."
The deputy Air Force commander described the helicopters as "combat aircraft with enhanced capabilities and improved accuracy which are capable of engaging targets efficiently both in the daytime and at night."
Upgrade of in-service MI-24P helicopters to the MI-24PN level (P stands for "gun" in the Russian language, and N for nighttime operation) is handled by the Rostvertol plant in Rostov- on-Don.
The MI-24PN carries the BREO-24 avionics and Zarevo nighttime IR homing equipment. In particular, BREO-24 includes the Raduga-Sh sighting and surveillance system integrated with the Zarevo IR imager (earlier designated as Nokturn). The imager was designed by the Zverev plant in the town of Krasnogorsk outside Moscow.
The sighting system is reinforced by an IR subsystem, laser range-finder and anti-tank missile control channel. BREO-24 includes an LCD, night-vision goggles and adapted cockpit lighting equipment.
The new avionics renders the helicopter the round-the-clock operation capability and ability to use all types of inherent weapons. It provides for piloting the aircraft at altitudes from 50 to 200 meters at night and ensures high precision of navigation through the use of a digital terrain map and reference to a satellite navigation system.
Armament includes the anti-tank missile system with Shturm or Ataka high-precision missiles operational 24 hours a day, unguided projectiles, and in-built and suspended small arms and guns, such as the NPPU-23 gun system with the 23mm GSh-23 gun.
Suspended armament may include up to 16 9M-120/120F/114 anti- tank projectiles of the Ataka-V system, suspended gun systems with 23mm guns and allowance of 450 shells, and several air-to- air missiles. Combat efficiency of the modified helicopter is 1.5 to 1.7 times higher than that of the baseline MI-24 Hind.
As a result of simultaneous repairs, restoration and modernization, the helicopter has an overhaul period of 1,000 hours or seven years in operation. Over 620 MI-24P helicopters have been produced.