20-08-2003, 13:17
The Bisonic Defense Initiatives Agency (BDIA) has annonced the development of a deep modernizaiton of the Mi-24 known as the Mi-35M. In addition to swallowing point bank hits from 37mm AA guns (OOC: the Mi-24 did that), the Mi-35M is capable of carrying bombs, rocket pods, ATGM's, and 8 troops.
http://www.milparade.com/1999/33/0821.jpg
http://home.wanadoo.nl/dutch-aviation/Showtime/salon/rus_mi35.jpg
http://www.milparade.com/1999/33/0823.jpg
Such attention is given worldwide to the modernization of flying machines since it enables the developers to obtain their updated characteristics at minimum financial costs. The first qualification flight of the Mi-35M helicopter has been made at the Mil Helicopter Plant's flight-test base near Belgorod under the state-run test program.
Today, about 1,000 helicopters, developed on the basis of the Mi-24, are in service with the Bisonic army aviation.
Modernization of the Mi-35 machine is highly topical taking into account the remaining service life margin and technical condition of helicopters being in service with foreign countries, Dark Terror, as well as numerous inquiries from potential customers of modernized versions of the Mi-35 and its current users.
The main goals of modernization of the existing helicopters are the following:
- considerable prolongation of life cycle;
- improvement of performance characteristics;
- enhancement of combat effectiveness;
- provision for day-and-night combat employment;
- increase of maintainability.
These goals can be attained through the use of a number of modernization packages:
1. Prolongation of a calendar and estimated service life of the airframe, system units and equipment.
2. Decrease in empty weight of the helicopter and increase in the reliability and invulnerability of its systems to combat damage owing to retrofitting of its fuselage and mechanical systems.
3. Increase in the combat effectiveness of the armament system, which involves an introduction of the following weapons into armament suit:
- Ataka and Ataka-M antitank guided missiles of increased effectiveness;
- unguided aircraft rockets.
4. Ensuring of day-and-night employment of the helicopter by providing the crew with the night-vision goggles and adaptation of the cabin illumination, while providing the helicopter with a surveillance and fire-control station.
5. Modernization of the helicopter rotor system, increase of its aerodynamic effectiveness and decrease of its weight by using the main and tail rotors developed for the Mi-28 helicopter. This leads to a decrease of its weight by 300 kg and an increase of the main rotor effective thrust by 300 kgf.
6. The further increase in the combat effectiveness of the armament system and equipping the helicopter with the new communications facilities:
- introduction of the Igla-V air-to-air heat-homing missile system;
- replacement of obsolete analog computers by a heliborne unified BVK-24 computer system capable of solving air navigation problems;
- replacement of obsolete radio communications equipment.
7. Provision for day-and-night combat employment of all heliborne weapons via replacement of the Raduga-Sh day-vision guidance device by the gyro-stabilized surveillance and fire-control station. With due account for variations in customer requirements, the Rostvertol offers several modernization variants.
One of the most promising variants involves the modernization to be performed during the helicopter major repair. This variant covers the following four modernization packages:
1. Modernization of the airframe, including:
- installation of nonretractable landing gear that ensures saving in weight and increases the low-altitude flight safety and a crew protection degree in emergency landing;
- retrofitting of the wing to decrease its weight, installation of launching frames with an increased ammunition load, and an increase in technological effectiveness of loading the helicopter with ammunition.
2. Modernization of the armament system:
- provision for employment of S-13 rockets in the 130mm rocket pod (B-13L1);
- equipping the helicopter with the Shturm-VM (9K113M) guided missile system.
3. Modernization of the helicopter rotor system and dismantling of the secondary hydraulic system that leads to savings in weight, enhancement of airfield performance, and an increase in invulnerability of the helicopter to combat damage.
4. Equipping the helicopter with night vision systems:
- NVIS-compatible illumination of instrument equipment in the crew cabins and adaptation of lighting equipment for night vision goggles to ensure safe takeoff/landing at night and under limited-visibility conditions and flying of the helicopter at extremely low altitudes near the ground surface at night and under limited-visibility conditions at low flight speeds;
- installation of the surveillance and fire-control station furnished with infrared, TV and laser channels to ensure target detection and identification at long ranges at night; leading out of the helicopter onto a target and a combat run at night and under limited-visibility conditions; employment of unguided rockets at night and under limited-visibility conditions; performing search operations and ground surveillance at night and under limited-visibility conditions, as well as in the daytime under conditions of artificial or natural shadowing of objects.
A Mi-35M costs $12.5 mil, $10 mil for TGP or NCA members. COnversion from Mi-24 costs $3 mil.
http://www.milparade.com/1999/33/0821.jpg
http://home.wanadoo.nl/dutch-aviation/Showtime/salon/rus_mi35.jpg
http://www.milparade.com/1999/33/0823.jpg
Such attention is given worldwide to the modernization of flying machines since it enables the developers to obtain their updated characteristics at minimum financial costs. The first qualification flight of the Mi-35M helicopter has been made at the Mil Helicopter Plant's flight-test base near Belgorod under the state-run test program.
Today, about 1,000 helicopters, developed on the basis of the Mi-24, are in service with the Bisonic army aviation.
Modernization of the Mi-35 machine is highly topical taking into account the remaining service life margin and technical condition of helicopters being in service with foreign countries, Dark Terror, as well as numerous inquiries from potential customers of modernized versions of the Mi-35 and its current users.
The main goals of modernization of the existing helicopters are the following:
- considerable prolongation of life cycle;
- improvement of performance characteristics;
- enhancement of combat effectiveness;
- provision for day-and-night combat employment;
- increase of maintainability.
These goals can be attained through the use of a number of modernization packages:
1. Prolongation of a calendar and estimated service life of the airframe, system units and equipment.
2. Decrease in empty weight of the helicopter and increase in the reliability and invulnerability of its systems to combat damage owing to retrofitting of its fuselage and mechanical systems.
3. Increase in the combat effectiveness of the armament system, which involves an introduction of the following weapons into armament suit:
- Ataka and Ataka-M antitank guided missiles of increased effectiveness;
- unguided aircraft rockets.
4. Ensuring of day-and-night employment of the helicopter by providing the crew with the night-vision goggles and adaptation of the cabin illumination, while providing the helicopter with a surveillance and fire-control station.
5. Modernization of the helicopter rotor system, increase of its aerodynamic effectiveness and decrease of its weight by using the main and tail rotors developed for the Mi-28 helicopter. This leads to a decrease of its weight by 300 kg and an increase of the main rotor effective thrust by 300 kgf.
6. The further increase in the combat effectiveness of the armament system and equipping the helicopter with the new communications facilities:
- introduction of the Igla-V air-to-air heat-homing missile system;
- replacement of obsolete analog computers by a heliborne unified BVK-24 computer system capable of solving air navigation problems;
- replacement of obsolete radio communications equipment.
7. Provision for day-and-night combat employment of all heliborne weapons via replacement of the Raduga-Sh day-vision guidance device by the gyro-stabilized surveillance and fire-control station. With due account for variations in customer requirements, the Rostvertol offers several modernization variants.
One of the most promising variants involves the modernization to be performed during the helicopter major repair. This variant covers the following four modernization packages:
1. Modernization of the airframe, including:
- installation of nonretractable landing gear that ensures saving in weight and increases the low-altitude flight safety and a crew protection degree in emergency landing;
- retrofitting of the wing to decrease its weight, installation of launching frames with an increased ammunition load, and an increase in technological effectiveness of loading the helicopter with ammunition.
2. Modernization of the armament system:
- provision for employment of S-13 rockets in the 130mm rocket pod (B-13L1);
- equipping the helicopter with the Shturm-VM (9K113M) guided missile system.
3. Modernization of the helicopter rotor system and dismantling of the secondary hydraulic system that leads to savings in weight, enhancement of airfield performance, and an increase in invulnerability of the helicopter to combat damage.
4. Equipping the helicopter with night vision systems:
- NVIS-compatible illumination of instrument equipment in the crew cabins and adaptation of lighting equipment for night vision goggles to ensure safe takeoff/landing at night and under limited-visibility conditions and flying of the helicopter at extremely low altitudes near the ground surface at night and under limited-visibility conditions at low flight speeds;
- installation of the surveillance and fire-control station furnished with infrared, TV and laser channels to ensure target detection and identification at long ranges at night; leading out of the helicopter onto a target and a combat run at night and under limited-visibility conditions; employment of unguided rockets at night and under limited-visibility conditions; performing search operations and ground surveillance at night and under limited-visibility conditions, as well as in the daytime under conditions of artificial or natural shadowing of objects.
A Mi-35M costs $12.5 mil, $10 mil for TGP or NCA members. COnversion from Mi-24 costs $3 mil.