At least 12 Mi-28N attack helicopters were rolled out of the assembly shop of Russian Helicopters’ Rostvertol plant during 2012, with the manufacturer having made upwards of 60 aircraft of the type since 2005.

Last year, Rostvertol launch assembly of a prototype of the redundant controls-equipped Mi-28UB combat trainer based on the low-rate initial production Mi-28N (side number 37) built in 2008. The Mi-28UB is due to commence its flight tests in 2013. Its developer, the Mil Helicopter Plant, carries on with its modernisation of the baseline model to develop a more sophisticated version, the Mi-28NM, which production is slated for the mid-2010s.

The mast-mounted radar being developed for the Mi-28N by the Ryazan State Instrument-Making Plant cleared a number of test hurdles this spring. In March, the radar’s interdepartmental performance tests were completed on the premises of the Ryazan State Instrument-Making Plant, and April 2013 saw the completion of the radar-equipped Mi-28N’s preliminary trials in the Moscow Region and the release of the acceptance report recommending the radar’s employment as part of production-standard helicopters of the type. The last hurdle remaining is the joint special flight tests of the helicopter equipped with the radar. Depending on the outcome of the tests, a decision will be made to launch the radar’s production to fit the Mi-28N.

Concurrently, the radar’s export version, designated as N025E, is being developed to equip the Mi-28NE export model, which first order was announced last autumn. Rostvertol is gearing up for the Mi-28NE’s full-rate production that is going to run concurrently with that of the Mi-28N designed for the Russian Air Force.