Now, the type is operated by the Army Aviation Combat Training and Conversion Centre in the town of Torzhok and by several units in the Southern and Western Military Districts. Mi-28Ns were fielded with the Army Aviation units in Budyonnovsk and Korenovsk in 2009-11, and the newly activated Army Aviation brigade in Ostrov, Pskov Region, started receiving them in 2013. At least one air base more, in the Leningrad Region, is expected to begin taking delivery of Mi-28Ns this year.

According to Rostvertol's annual reports, 14 Mi-28Ns were rolled out of the company's assembly shop in the course of 2013, and just as many had been delivered to the Defence Ministry a year before.

Overall, Rostvertol has made and delivered a prototype, seven LRIP and at least 70 production-standard Mi-28N helicopters since 2005. The deliveries to RusAF under the current long-term contracts have been steady at a rate of 12-15 machines a year over the past five years. This means that RusAF shall have operated as many as a hundred Night Hunters by late 2015.

A significant event last year was the manufacture and launch of the testing of a Mi-28N prototype fitted with the twin controls. The machine also known as Mi-28UB was derived from the LRIP Mi-28N serialled 37 and built in 2008. Its maiden flight in Rostov-on-Don took place on 31 July 2013. The developer, the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, continued the upgrade of the baseline model last year to develop the more sophisticated Mi-28NM variant, which productionising is slated for the middle of the decade.

With the Night Hunter's official trials complete and its service entry with RusAF being a fact, the machine's promotion on the global market has intensified. Several Middle East, African and Latin American nations have displayed interest in the helicopter, which export version is designated as Mi-28NE.

According to the media, Iraq is to become the first foreign customer for the Mi-28NE soon. According to the official website of Rostec, which subsidiary Rosoboronexport is, an agreement on a large batch of Russian armament for Iraq to the tune of $4.2 billion was signed by Iraqi Premier Nouri al-Maliki during his visit to Moscow in October 2012. Rosoboronexport Director General Anatoly Isaikin confirmed to the media in February 2013 that the contract was getting the approval by the Iraqi parliament. On 27 March of the same year, the Iraqi parliament's website published the statement by Vice-Speaker Aref Teifur about the deal having come into effect. In addition to a batch of Mi-28NE combat helicopters, Iraq acquired a number of Mi-35M attack helicopters, of which the first four were delivered last autumn.

Early in May, Konstantin Biryulin, head of the Russian delegation to the SOFEX 2014 arms show in Jordan and Deputy Director of the Federal Military-Technical Cooperation Service, told the Interfax-AVN news agency that Iraq would receive the first Mi-28NE batch before year-end.

"Russia is fulfilling the contract for delivery of Mi-35 and Mi-28NE helicopters to Iraq. The Mi-35 batch has been delivered, and Iraqis are pleased with them. As for the Mi-28NEs, their first consignment shall have been delivered to Iraq before year-end", told Mr. Biryulin. He said Iraq became the launch foreign customer or the advanced Russian-built Mi-28NE helicopters.

"To date, we have had no problems with fulfilling the contract for delivering the helicopters to Iraq. The plant in Rostov-on-Don is on schedule", Konstantin Biryulin added.

(Photo: Alexey Mikheyev)