Mi-8AMT(Sh) BECOMES A STRIKE-FIGHTER
Leonid Belykh
Managing Director of the
"ULAN-UDE AVIATION PLANT", Joint Stock Company
Mi-8AMT(Sh) combat-transport helicopter is a modification of a serial troop-carrying and transport helicopter Mi-8AMT being produced by the Ukan-Ude Aviation Plant.
The Mi-8AMT(Sh) helicopter is intended for:
For killing tanks the helicopter is for the first time equipped with a high-accuracy guided missile system "Shturm-V" using "Ataka" guided supersonic missiles with tandem cumulative warhead. For fire support of land power the helicopter can be equipped with GMs "Ataka" with a high-explosive warhead, unguided missiles of 80 mm caliber (S-8), and gun containers with a 23 mm gun (UPK-23-250). The "Shturm-V" system can also be equipped with guided missiles "Ataka" with contact and influence fuzes for hitting any aerial targets and GMs "Shturm".
The most significant advantages of the "Sturm-V" missile system using guided missiles "Ataka" and "Shturm" are as follows:
Detection and identification of ground targets is performed by an operator through a visual channel of a stabilized observation and guidance device "Raduga-Sh". Missiles firing range – 800-5800 m.
In the event of low altitude flights, for protection against any ground-based weapon and neutralization of any residual centers of resistance the helicopter is equipped with machine-guns of 7.62 mm caliber, swivel units for AKM machine-guns of troops, armoured plates, passive protection facilities against "Stinger" missiles.
So, this helicopter is solely able to resolve a complex task: hitting any fixed-site and movable centers of resistance and suppressing their residual suppression by airborne troops with fire support from air and subsequent evacuation of troops and wounded.
Hundreds of Mi-17 and Mi-171 helicopters are successfully used in various parts of the world including areas of conflicts in Africa, Latin America, Near East, and Southeast Asia. As the Kalashnikov machine-gun, the helicopters became popular due to their responsibility, few needs, off-hanger maintenance. Their modernization from a combat-transport version to a combat-transport-strike version quickened a vivid interest in various countries as a simple and relatively cheap method of strengthening combat power of helicopter fleet. And further more, guided equipment assembling don't exhaust all the abilities of such helicopters.
In the nearest future it would be possible to further improve such helicopters with the systems of night vision and other systems of high-accuracy weapon. It will be possible to assemble any such equipment both on new and old helicopters directly on the sites of operating entities that have in their possession equipped maintenance centers.
The general production sample of the Mi-8AMT has been recently updated at the Moscow Helicopter Plant named for M.L. Mil in the town of Panki (Moscow Oblast), and shall, on completing State Testing, be implemented for operation in Mi-8AMTSh version.
ULAN-UDE AVIATION PLANT
1, Khorinskaya St., Ulan-Ude,
670009, Russia.
Tel.: {301-2} 25-74-75, 25-35-55, 25-26-38.
Fax.: {301-2} 25-21-47, 25-74-75, 25-35-55.
Telex: 288110 AVIA
E-mail: uuaz@buryatia.ru