SOVIET
MILITARY
HELICOPTERS
Front cover illustration:
Head-on view of the Mil
Mi-28 ‘Havoc’, the newest
Soviet attack holicopter. The
nose dome covers the mis
sile guidance antenna for its
eight AT-6 ‘Spiral’ anti-tank
missiles, while the chin
mounted electro-optics tur
ret contains the target
acquisition sight and laser
rangefinder. The inboard
pylons carry two UB-20 pods
each with eight S-8 un
guided missiles, while the
turret gun is derived from
the 2A42 30mm autocannon
originally mounted on the
BMP-2 armoured infantry
vehicle.
jack cover illustration,
top:
Mi-8TB belonging to
‘Transporthubschrauberges:
chwader 34 ‘Werner Seclen
binder’, photographed at
Holzdort air base in June
1990, The East German unit
has 24 ‘Hips’ and normally
operates from Brandenburg:
Briest, a well-known Luft
wate base during the
Second World War.
Back cover illustration,
bottom:
Romanian troops disembark
ing from an Mi-4 ‘Hound
with the tactical number
White 2’4. An East German Mit
being overhauled. The
AL26V radial engine pro-
vides a maximum take-off
power of 87Shp and is in-
stalled vertically in the rear
half of the fuselage. The
engine is cooled by a ven
tilator to avoid overheating
in the hover. The main rotor
ig a tapered steel tube spar,
while the tail rotor blades
are of wood with a plywood
and fabric cover. Both rotors
are medium green in colour
and the tail rotor's warning
stripes are in black and
white