File image.
Russian Mi-28N and Mi-28NM attack helicopters now appear to be playing a larger role in countering Ukrainian long-range, fixed-wing, one-way attack drones.
Video footage that surfaced online on September 5 shows helicopters of this type gunning down two FP-1s and one MICH 2000 using their 30 mm Shipunov 2A42 cannon. It is unclear when exactly the footage was taken.
The 2A42, which is mounted in an undernose turret with a wide range of movement, has an effective firing range of two kilometers, but can fire at targets up to four kilometers away. The gun’s lowest rate of fire is 200–300 rounds per minute and can get as high as 550–800 rounds per minute, with a muzzle velocity of 960 meters per second.
The FP-1 is one of the largest suicide drones currently in service with Kiev forces. The drone, which is guided via a GPS-aided inertial navigation system, has a range of up to 1,600 kilometers and carries a warhead weighing around 120 kilograms.
Meanwhile, the MICH 2000 boasts a longer reach, with a reported range of 2,000 kilometers, with a warhead weighing up to 60 kilograms. It features a guidance system similar to that of the FP-1.
Helicopters can fly at low altitudes and speeds, which make them very suitable for intercepting slow and aerial targets like drones. Modern attack helicopters in particular are especially effective in this role, as they can use their electro-optical targeting systems to detect, track, and lock onto drones.
Over the past year, Ka-52 and Ka-52M attack helicopters played a key role in repelling increasing Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territories. The Mi-28N and Mi-28NM began conducting such missions more recently.
While the Ka-52 and Ka-52M feature a radar in addition to an electro-optical system, making it easier for them to hunt down drones, their own 2A42 gun is mounted on the side with much less freedom of movement than that on the Mi-28N and Mi-28NM.
All of these helicopters are also armed with the Igla-V system, an air-launched version of the Igla man-portable air defense system. The missiles used by the system are guided via infrared homing and have a fire-and-forget capability. The maximum range of the system is reported to be five kilometers.
More than 200 Mi-28N, Mi-28NM, Ka-52, and Ka-52M helicopters are reported to be in service with the Russian military currently. Deployed as drone hunters, these helicopters are making a difference.
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