"I am a helicopter pilot." Part two
Continuation of the interview with the army pilot aviationhaving experience flying Mi-8, Mi-24, Mi-35M and Mi-28N helicopters.
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Mi-28N
- Have you already come up with a nickname for the helicopter?
- Who "Mickey Mouse" calls him, who is "Rat". Because if you look at it from the front, the engines look like ears. But there is no established name yet.
- You have already said that it was difficult to relearn on “28”. How long does it take?
- Theory - two or two and a half months. Six days, three pairs a day. You sit, you write notes. If with flights, then up to three months.
- There is no educational version of Mi-28Н yet, but maybe you have heard of it news?
- They say that “Ubeshka” is already in Torzhok, they began to run around it. It is clear that she will not go to the troops soon.
- What happened to the Mi-28H on Aviadarts in August of this year?
- The reason is already known, the information brought to us, but I will not voice it. Anyone who is familiar with helicopter aviation firsthand will understand the reason from the video of the catastrophe, it is obvious.
- The first information was that there was a hydraulic failure.
- No, that's not the point. There was a failure of technology, but the point is not in the hydraulic system. There is no blame for the pilot. Wait for the official conclusion of the commission.
- One of the most frequently asked questions: has the radar been completed?
- Probably, this question should be redirected to factory workers who deal with it. We do not have it yet, but they promise to supply it on Mi-28HM already.
- What can you say about the quality of the thermal imager?
“The best is on 28.” On the Mi-35, too, in principle, normal, works well.
- What is the target detection range with a thermal imager?
- 6-8 kilometers, maybe more. It depends on the contrast of the target.
- Is the image quality acceptable?
- Yes.
- If you compare it with Apache? There are a lot of videos in the network, I think, we saw them.
- The “Apache” is better, of course. This is generally accepted. But I would not say that we are right downright very bad compared to him. No, ok, you can see, you can find a target. The difference is that they have a clearer picture.
- A lot of questions have been asked on the armament of the helicopter. For example, such: “How automated is the use of the“ Attack ”missile with radio command guidance on the Mi-28Н? There is a video on the Internet where the Iraqi Mi-28H shoots and misses the target, although the target is held by the aiming complex. ”
- Question to the gunsmiths who serve this helicopter. There is a very complex system that requires fine-tuning. Maybe there is a weak beam power, the beam is not looking there from the axis of the helicopter aiming. All the questions here are exclusively for the service personnel, whether they are all properly set up.
- How often do missiles fail when they are wired along a laser beam? Have there been any breakdowns in the guidance of guided missiles due to smoke trails?
- No, because of the smoke trail breakdown can not occur. The error may be in the actions of the pilot-operator. On the Mi-24, when they fired using a surveillance device consisting of a system of mirrors, then if they hit the smoke trail from a rocket - and the smoke goes on you - you just don’t have to pull the controls of this beam. When the smoke passes, the mark calmly overlaps the target, and the rocket hits the right place. The same on Mi-35M. At 28, it is even simpler, because its binding system goes in automatic mode: even if the target gets into the smoke trail, the machine automatically makes the mark.
- An anti-tank system 9М120-1 and 9М120-1Ф were developed for the anti-tank complex Sturm-VM with an additional laser beam guidance channel besides the standard radio command channel. Are there any similar missiles in the units and are they used in the exercises from the Mi-28H helicopters?
- There is only on the new series "28-x."
- Does the accuracy of the gun 2А42 on the helicopter? Are there any problems with it because of the big return?
“I haven’t shot myself yet, but the conversations of my colleagues are accurate.” If the machine counts well in the automatic mode of aiming, then where it pointed, there it beats.
The machine recoil problems eliminates.
- Can you compare the accuracy and accuracy of the guns of the Mi-24, Mi-35M and Mi-28H? How do cars behave when shooting from these guns?
- It will be more accurate gun "28-th", because the shooting is done in automatic mode. The Mi-35M still has some problems with shooting in automatic mode, sometimes the machine shows a nonsense. Well, in the manual it all depends on the quality of your own calculations for shooting, how accurately you calculate everything, and you’ll get as accurate as possible.
Regarding the behavior of machines when shooting guns. On the Mi-24, the recoil is very well felt: if you give an average turn, you can lose the order of 20-30 km / h on speed. If it is long, up to the “last piece of iron,” then the losses will be up to 50-60 km / h. The car is biting forward. On the Mi-35M recoil is already weaker, you can compare with the shooting of a machine gun on the Mi-24В: clicked, something flew away, you do not feel anything special.
- What is the comparative effectiveness of guns GSH-23 and GSH-30?
- The larger the caliber, the more effective. When we flew the Mi-24, the “thirty” was jokingly called “high-precision weapons". This gun is really like a high-precision weapon on a helicopter: if it is correctly aimed, then the shells will fly right on target. GSH-23 is also not a bad gun, especially since, unlike the “thirty”, it is mounted on a mobile unit.
- The real range of use of the gun on the growth target?
- I understood where the readers took this question: from ground practice, where they shoot a machine gun. But we are all different. Our basic goal is a tank-type target, or an areal. Usually we shoot from a kilometer, from a thousand meters with visual aiming. It is possible and with a greater range. "28-e" can shoot from two thousand and more, because they can be fired at such a range from such a range. If you shoot visually, in manual mode, then it all depends on how well you see the target. From two kilometers from a cannon to beat, of course, is not particularly convenient and ineffective, better NAR.
- Can you give an example of some shooting standards?
- If you shoot 20 shells in one salvo at a distance of one and a half kilometers, then to get an "excellent" score you need to hit three shells on the target. The target is a BMP tank. It is not necessary to get somewhere close, but right on target.
- Is shooting effective on tank from a small-caliber gun?
- You can shoot, more, of course, for good luck. I will not say that it’s right somewhere in our country that it’s necessary to shoot a tank at a cannon, but why not? The top of it is not so armored, if the projectile arrives in the area of the engine, it will strike.
- Is there an exercise to defeat a group target of "enemy infantry"?
- We have shooting at ground targets, and this can be both areal, and parking planes, and tanks, infantry fighting vehicles on the march.
- Does Mi-28H have any battle management system with operational situation on the map, external target designation, transfer of the enemy's location from other units on the fly?
- The creators of the helicopter have provided such a system, but it is not widely used yet. But on the exercises, experiments have already been conducted. I consider it very useful and necessary.
- With the advent of the Mi-28H tactics use of helicopters change? By type of American "Apache": work with hovering, guided missiles.
- Yes, the work of the gun with hovering, guided missiles to let him. And with the "35-x" hovering allowed already. They began to work more on hovering, namely a cannon. On the Mi-24, this was impossible to do, because the gun was rigidly fixed and for its rotation it was necessary to turn the whole helicopter. NAR while it is impossible to shoot with hovering.
- It turns out that the old problem with the NAR has not been resolved?
- Yes, there is a flaw. The rockets are very smoky, there is a danger that the smoke will get into the engine, and it just “sneezes”. The car has a protection system: when firing NAR, water is injected into the engines, which increases their power and compensates for smoke. But this system works only with the forward movement of the helicopter, on hover, the engine can support.
- This promise to fix?
- While not heard. Probably something needs to be changed in the rocket engine. But when will they be replaced, if there are a lot of old NAR? ..
- "28-th" participated in the sorties?
- Yes, I participated and participates quite often. In the same WHO.
- There have been incidents of shelling from the ground?
- No.
- What is the weather for Mi-28H considered non-flying?
- Fog, for example, thunderstorms, heavy wind, strong icing.
- But does “28” have more opportunities in this respect than the Mi-24?
- No, the same. It all depends on the level of training of the pilot. It is always prescribed in the instructions of the minimum helicopter, in which he can fly. At the bottom of the clouds and on the flight visibility. That is, the ability of its systems to go in these conditions at the airfield. And, naturally, it is necessary to take into account the aerodrome data - is the aerodrome capable in such and such conditions to accept this type of car. And then it all depends on the skill of the pilot, on the level of training, whether he has access to flying in precisely such conditions. We have, for example, “in simple conditions” admission. “200 on 2” - the height of the lower boundary of 200 meters, the visibility of 2 kilometers. "100 on 1", respectively, the lower edge of 100 meters, visibility - 1 kilometer. And "70 on 1" is still there - the bottom edge of 70 meters, visibility - 1 kilometer. It all depends on the pilot.
- What would you like to modify or additionally have on the Mi-28H?
- Hmm ... Probably, to just cure all childhood diseases of the machine. The helicopter from series to series is becoming more reliable, but I would like it to be completed more efficiently. For example, there used to be a problem with gearboxes. Very warm, there was a bad airflow, poor cooling of the oil. Finished. Overheated ceased.
- There are any wishes for armament?
- Not. In principle, everything is quite normal in terms of armament. Its combat load is almost the same as Mi-24, Mi-35М. The same principle: two blocks NAR. But you can hang up four. The engines allow you to carry such a load without special restrictions in piloting. A cannon would like more ammunition ... Two hundred and fifty shells is not enough.
- How many do you need?
- At least five hundred.
By the way, I remembered that I would like to finalize on the Mi-28Н: control of the beam and line of sight of the missiles. On the Mi-24 and Mi-35M are the so-called "horns", which are more familiar to pilots. And they are more accurate, smoother. On the Mi-28H there is a round knob on the handle, where everything depends on the force of pressing: the more you push, the faster it turns. Because of this, in flight, during shaking, it is very difficult to achieve a smooth turn. The designers talked about this, they answered that there are also ideas to finalize this moment.
Ka-52
- Have you ever dealt with Ka-52?
- I had the opportunity to start flying on this helicopter, but in the end I decided to continue exploring the car that I had recently started to master. Just did not want to ride from one machine to another, so really and not having mastered the previous one. But it would be interesting for me to master Ka-52. According to the stories of those who moved them, well, that's all: enthusiastic children's faces, smiles, pleasure is like, as a child, they gave a real machine gun.
- Does the coexistence of two different types of helicopters in a unit make sense? I'm talking about Mi-28H and Ka-52.
- It has. “Kashka” is more suitable for flying in the highlands, less sensitive to the influence of external factors, for example, the same wind. It does not have a spontaneous rotation mode to the left, when something happens to the tail rotor when landing with a tail wind, and the tail rotor cannot catch on the air when the engine is not enough.
- A similar question: does the existence of the Mi-28 and Ka-52 pair make sense?
- Not. He was conceived as a designator, so it would be better to use it. Moreover, the 52-x pair is capable of performing the same tasks. I see no reason to cross two different types, maneuverability and piloting techniques are different.
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To be continued
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