Russian Army Aviation Mi-35 helicopters had been reported on July 1 to have been deployed for an assault on a Ukrainian command put up, neutralising close by armour and destroying the positioning itself. The Russian Defence Ministry reported relating to the assault “On account of ongoing fight duties, the camouflaged command posts and armoured {hardware} of Ukrainian military items have been worn out.” The helicopters had been deployed within the speedy neighborhood of the road of engagement, and accompanied by a hearth assist workforce on a Mi-8 carrying gunners and a medic. The Mi-8 was tasked with offering protecting hearth for the Mi-35 crew and recovering any downed crewmen within the occasion of emergencies, in response to the Defence Ministry assertion. Mi-35s haven’t performed as distinguished a job because the Ka-52 and Mi-28 assault helicopters, which notably from early June started to take a significant toll on Ukrainian armour as Kiev tried to launch a significant offensive in opposition to Russian forces. All three lessons had been produced in parallel within the 2010s, used extensively in fight within the Syrian theatre, and had been designed to e in a position to present hearth assist to Russian motor rifle brigades. The Mi-35 differs, nevertheless, in that it serves as a transport as a secondary function fairly than purely a devoted assault helicopter, and that it’s not a clear sheet twenty first century helicopter design however fairly a modernised spinoff of the Soviet Mi-24 that served through the Chilly Conflict.
The Mi-24 entered service within the late Chilly Conflict years, and alongside its American counterpart the AH-64 Apache was thought of essentially the most succesful assault helicopter of its time. The place NATO members didn’t develop a successor to the Apache, leaving modernised variants of it right this moment as essentially the most succesful assault helicopters within the Western world, the Mi-24 though nonetheless extremely potent was succeeded by the Mi-28 and Ka-52. Mi-24s however nonetheless play a central function within the Russian Armed Forces, with the design remaining in manufacturing right this moment because the Mi-35 and being extremely well-liked amongst international shoppers as it’s each considerably more cost effective and extra versatile than the devoted assault helicopters. Eleven international international locations have acquired MI-35s because the class started to be provided overseas within the early 2000s, with over 180 having been exported most not too long ago to Belarus within the first quarter of 2023. This builds on the legacy of the Mi-24 which was already essentially the most extensively operated assault helicopter class on the planet, which itself constructed on the success of the Mi-8 transport which is by far essentially the most extensively used navy helicopter class of any kind. The newest Mi-35M variant started deliveries to Russian Army Aviation in 2011, and alongside new avionics and an up-rated Klimov VK-2500-02 engine it borrows important options from the brand new era particularly the Mi-28 together with use of an X-shaped low-noise tail rotor. The efficiency benefits this supplies pair properly with its new predominant rotor hub and composite blades. Alongside the Mi-24P, the Mi-35 stays the closest counterpart in Russia to modernised Apaches in NATO fleets, albeit nonetheless in a league under the Mi-28 and Ka-52 notably by way of their armaments and flight performances.
