Mil Mi-28
The Mil Mi-28 Havoc (NATO code name) is the Soviet equivalent to the AH-64 Apache, both in size and role, and in some ways also in appearance. For example, the Mi-28 also has a fixed single wheel gear, with a rear braced main gear below the cockpit. The tail wheel is at the very end of the tail boom. Additonally, the four blade tail rotor has a similar scissor shape, meaning that the angles between the blades is not equal. It is placed on the right side, at the top of the vertical fin, that has a high, braced horizontal stabiliser on the left. Near the middle of the fuselage are two external nacelles with the turboshaft engines. Just below are the short stub wings with anhedral with two weapon pylons on each. The crew sits under two separate canopies. The canopy opens at the sides; the top panels are fixed. The pilot in the back sits higher than the weapons operator in the front. The Havoc has a five blade main rotor.
Like many attack helicopters the rear seat is higher than the front seat. Both crew member sit in separate canopies, of which the side panels can be opened.
The Mi-28 has a scissor type, four blade tail rotor like the Apache, but it is on the left side of the vertical stabiliser and large, with a horizontal stabiliser on the opposite side.
How to recognise the different versions of the Mi-28
To distinguish the different versions of the Mil Mi-28 you will have to look at
- the shape of the sensors on the nose
- whether it has a sphere shaped dome on top of the rotor mast
More details will follow later.
Similar helicopters
Some helicopters look so similar to the Mi-28 that you may confuse them. Below you can read how to distinguish them.
Differences Mi-28 & AH-64 Apache
The Western counterpart of the Mil Mi-28 Havoc is the Apache. Both helicopters are in many ways similar, except that the Apache has a four blade main rotor, a continuous canopy (but with separate doors), a scissor type four blade tail rotor placed high on the left and horizontal stabilisers at the bottom rear of the vertical fin. Other differences are smaller.
Differences Mi-28 & Z-21
A lot is still unknown for this Chinese attack helicopter, but from the first photos that surfaced it appears to be similar in appearance to the Mi-28. The Z-21 has a regular four blade tail rotor though on the right and likely more subtle differences.
Differences Mi-28 & Denel (Atlas) Rooivalk
Another attack helicopter with a stepped cockpit with separate canopies is the Denel Rooivalk. This South African helicopter has a four blade main rotor though and a five blade tail rotor. The tail gear is attached to a ventral fin and the stub wings have no anhedral. (photo: Anthony Noble/WikiMedia)
Differences Mi-28 & Changhe Z-10
The Changhe Z-10 has a fixed tail wheel landing gear and a scissor shaped four blade tail rotor like the Mi-28, but on the right. Its main rotor also has five blades and the canopies are separated like on the Havoc. However, the Z-10 has a distinctive body line along the fuselage and tail boom. Finally, the Z-10 has low mounted horizontal stabilisers. (photo: 3GO*CHN-405/mjordan_6/WikiMedia)
Differences Mi-28 & Tiger
The Tiger has the basic elements of most attack helicopters like stub wings with pylons, a stepped cockpit and a sturdy tail wheel landing gear. Like the Mi-28 it has separate canopies, but there are many differences: a four blade main rotor, a three blade tail rotor, only outer wings with anhedral (instead of the whole wings) and a tall, swept vertical stabiliser with horizontal stabiliser (with end plates) attached to the rear.