Mi-28N, attack helicopter, USSR/Russia, VII rank.

Pros

• Good crew protection
• Perfect versatility
• Thermal imaging

Cons

• Mediocre maneuverability

The Mi-28N Havoc is the new top-ranking vehicle in the Soviet/Russian helicopter research branch. It’s a modern attack helicopter with all the latest military technologies for its class.

 In combat, this helicopter can vie with live enemy forces, lightly armoured vehicles, tanks, and even aircraft, and it’s also capable of defending itself against AA systems and artillery. All of this can be found in the celebrated Havoc. It has a 30mm 2A42 cannon installed on a rotating turret on the nose of the helicopter (the same one as on the BMP-2), and its AP feed can easily take down any AA vehicle or hit the side or top of a tank. Like any other modern attack helicopter, the Mi-28N features a massive variety of suspended armament and combinations thereof.

This includes gun pods with 23mm cannons and rocket launchers, but the coolest thing of all is that it has guided missiles! Once you research the level 1 modification, the 9M120 “Ataka” is unlocked: the hefty, heavy-hitting ATGMs that should already be familiar from the Mi-35. The Mi-28N can carry up to 16 of these missiles. For airborne targets you can install up to eight 9M39 “Igla” missiles. These are excellent modern air-to-air missiles with infrared guided warheads.

Incidentally, you can take weapons for every potential situation into battle with you at the same time: 2x20 rocket launchers, eight ATGMs, and 4 “Igla” missiles. That should be enough for everyone! Needless to say, the Havoc also has heat traps and thermal imaging – these technologies are mandatory for top-ranking helicopters in our game.

The Mi-28N has speed characteristics that are similar to those of the Mi-35, but it’s significantly more dynamic and controls better. The Mi-28N is famous for still having the best passive defence of any modern attack helicopter – its entire cabin is protected by armour (including transparent armour). The Hunter’s entire internal compartment is essentially a modular armoured pod. These defences won’t protect it from a direct hit by a missile with a guided warhead or a volley of AA armor-piercing shells, but they do provide reliable protection against bullets, shrapnel, and small-calibre high-explosive rounds.

All in all, the Mi-28N is, without a doubt, one of the best helicopters in the game. It features excellent flight characteristics, powerful universal armament, and lots of technological “extras” typical of top-ranking helicopters, all in the Havoc coming in update 1.93! We can’t wait!

The War Thunder Team