The birth of a helicopter inside the rostvertol factory

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The birth of a helicopter gunship-Inside the Rostvertol factory



For the past 50 years, the Rostvertol company has been churning out civilian and military helicopters. In today's post, we'll take a tour down their production line and witness the creation of their latest product, the Mi-28N attack helicopter.



NATO calls it 'Havoc', and the Russian's prefer 'Night Hunter', quite fitting names for a 12 ton gunship powered by a pair of 2,190 hp engines. The Mi-28N is biggest attack helicopter in service today, and it is certainly one of the most powerful machines out there. The Havoc carries a pilot, gunner and a cramped passenger compartment for two. Offensive and defensive equipment includes a 30mm cannon, four hardpoints for rocket pods and anti-tank missiles, infrared jammers, flares and chaff.



Department 7 of the Rostvertol company is responsible for designing and developing these helicopters. Long gone are the days of using pencils and big sheets of sketching paper.



More computer aided designs.



Many components are made from scratch. Here the steel alloy is heated to 1200 degrees and placed in what appears to be a forging machine.



Components are anodized to increase their durability and lifespan.



Rotor blades, in this case the smaller tail rotor blades, are packaged and sent to the final assembly line.



Modern helicopters are not just made from metal. The main rotor is made from composite materials, which are as strong as steel, but much lighter and more resistant to wear and tear.



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The armored cockpit protects the gunner and the pilot with titanium and steel armor up to 40mm thick, offering complete protection from all forms of infantry weapons and some protection against 20mm cannons fire.



Poster roughly translates to 'Take quality control into your own hands, pilots are proud of your work'



Electrical systems are all armored and with multiple redundancies.



Babushka working hard



Calibration of the cockpit displays and avionics.



'Ma, I just bought a big gun and I have a long list of people to shoot at!'

The 2A42 is a open bolt, dual-purpose 30mm cannon carried by Russian attack helicopters and armored vehicles. It's rounds can penetrate 55mm of RHA steel from 1,500m away and attack infantry from 4,000m away. Ammunition capacity on the Mi-28N is 250 rounds.



Katya has helped to push the cart over, giving us a good sense of scale. The 30mm gun barrel alone is more than 2.4m long. The entire turret assembly is 3m long.



The Mi-35 is also available for purchase. These are updated versions of the classic Mi-24 Hind, equipped with new laser guided missiles and 23mm gun.



The milimeter-wave radar before it's encased in a protective shroud. Three radars and infrared-optical system works together to detect and attack vehicles from over 9km away.



The grey Havoc is for the Russian Army. The one in desert camo is the Mi-28NE ordered by Algeria. The E in the Mi-28NE means export model, which unfortunately means downgraded avionics. The gigantic machine behind the two Havocs is a Mi-26 Halo, the largest helicopter ever produced.



Working on the engine and the rotor assembly. The engine bay is protected and features suppressors to reduce heat signature, very important to improve survival against missiles like the Stinger and the Igla.



Sixteen 9M120 ATAKA missiles and a pair of rocket pods to make a mess of enemy tanks and troops. The wingtip pods contain flares, infrared jammers and sensors to warn the pilot of incoming missiles.



Test pilot closes his door. As you can see, the cockpit is quite cramped due the the thick armor protection.



Interviewed by the press after the test flight. She handles like a light helicopter!



Older Havocs on the move, these do not have the radar mounted on top of the rotors and can only fire SACLOS missiles