Iran receives first Mi-28NE attack helicopter from Russia as U.S. military pressure intensifies.

Iran has received its first Mi-28NE Night Hunter attack helicopter from Russia, as part of a 2023 contract, and amid heightened U.S. military pressure.

According to Military Informant on January 28, 2026, Iran received its first Russian Mil Mi-28NE attack helicopter, possibly marking the first confirmed delivery under a procurement announced in November 2023. The aircraft was geolocated to the Pars Aerospace Services Company facility, indicating inspection and acceptance activity rather than operational deployment. The delivery occurs amid increased U.S. military deployments and public statements signaling readiness for direct strikes against Iranian military infrastructure.
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Armament on the Mi-28NE is extensive, including a 30 mm cannon, up to 16 air-to-ground missiles, MANPADS launchers, up to 80 80 mm rockets, up to 20 122 mm rockets, or four aerial bombs, for a maximum external weapons load of 2,100 kg. (Picture source: Telegram/Military Informant and Rostec)

This could mean that the first Mil Mi-28NE attack helicopter was quietly delivered by Russia to Iran, as the country is seeking additional options to respond to the U.S. increasing military buildup and explicit threats. The helicopter was photographed inside a hangar in Tehran and carried a digital desert camouflage consistent with patterns used by Iranian military aviation units. The location of the hangar was geolocated by Mehdi H. to the Pars Aerospace Services Company facility, an aerospace maintenance and industrial site rather than an operational air base. Earlier indications in January 2026 pointed to the arrival of the first helicopters, while the original procurement was announced in November 2023 as a purchase from Russia of an unspecified number of Mi-28 helicopters.

The arrival of the Mi-28NE takes place amid the return of a coercive U.S. posture toward Iran following the re-election of Donald Trump, whose administration immediately signaled a revival of maximum-pressure policies. In late 2025 and early 2026, U.S. statements emphasized readiness to conduct direct military strikes against Iranian military infrastructure if the repression of nationwide protests continues. These signals were paired with reinforced naval and air deployments in the Middle East, including the redirection of carrier strike groups, the rotation of B-52H and B-1B bombers, as well as the deployment of additional Patriot and THAAD air defense batteries. The Trump administration’s posture explicitly deprioritized diplomatic de-escalation mechanisms in favor of deterrence by force. This environment increased Iranian assessments that limited warning strikes against air bases, missile sites, and command nodes were plausible. As a result, assets able to survive initial strikes and continue operating, such as the Mi-28NE, became operationally relevant and quickly needed.

In operational terms, Iran faces scenarios involving short-range escalation, border incidents, and potential strikes on military sites, where helicopter forces can be deployed rapidly from dispersed locations. The Mi-28NE is designed to operate from prepared or unprepared sites and does not require permanent hangar basing, allowing relocation under such conditions, as Iranian planners have long assumed that main air bases could be targeted early using standoff weapons launched from air and sea. Its ability to function day and night, even after airfield damage, supports counter-attack operations during periods of high alert. However, the Tehran-based hangar location suggests an initial phase of inspection, acceptance, and system familiarization rather than immediate combat deployment. Because the contract did not specify quantities, the appearance of a single airframe does not define fleet scale, but it confirms the transition from agreement to delivery under conditions explicitly emphasized by U.S. policy since January 2026.

The Russian Mil Mi-28NE Night Hunter is a two-seat attack helicopter configured specifically for export customers, with a core mission focused on engaging armored vehicles, unarmored vehicles, manpower, and low-speed air targets such as helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. Additional roles include escorting air assault units, providing direct fire support to ground forces, supporting reconnaissance and sabotage teams, and suppressing area targets using unguided weapons. These missions are integral to the helicopter’s configuration and are intended to be executed during the day or night and in varied weather conditions. The crew consists of a pilot and a weapons operator seated in tandem for low-altitude combat rather than transport or utility roles.

The Mi-28NE is extensively armored and reinforced, even for an attack helicopter. For instance, the cockpit is protected by armored panels, armored windshields, internal armored partitions, and ceramic armor elements covering critical areas. Fuel tanks are crashworthy, and the landing gear is energy-absorbing to mitigate vertical impact loads during hard landings. The airframe incorporates upgraded composite main rotor blades and an X-shaped tail rotor, improving redundancy and damage tolerance. These features are intended to maintain controllability and crew survival after sustaining battle damage during low-level operations.

The avionics architecture supports continuous operations through an onboard radar, a gyro-stabilized optical and electro-optical sighting system, and an integrated weapon control system for guided and unguided munitions. Navigation combines inertial and satellite-based systems, enabling autonomous flight and precise target approach. The cockpit is equipped with electronic display systems, and crews operate with night vision goggles, allowing takeoff, landing, and flight from unlit sites at altitudes as low as 50 m to 200 m. Communications cover helicopter-to-helicopter and helicopter-to-ground links, with additional provision for interaction with unmanned systems. An auxiliary power unit supports onboard systems during ground operations without external power.

Armament on the Mi-28NE is extensive, including a nose-mounted 30 mm 2A42 cannon on a flexible mount for engaging ground and aerial targets. Guided weapon loads can include up to 16 Ataka-V air-to-ground missiles or smaller loads of Khrizantema-V or Khrizantema-VM missiles, depending on configuration. Air-to-air self-defense capability is provided by missiles such as the Verba carried on Strelets launchers. Unguided weapons include up to 80 S-8 rockets of 80 mm caliber or up to 20 S-13 rockets of 122 mm caliber. The helicopter can also carry up to four aerial bombs, including high-explosive, high-explosive fragmentation, concrete-penetration, or incendiary types, with calibers from 50 kg to 500 kg, for a maximum external weapons load of 2,100 kg.

Powered by two VK-2500 engines, either the VK-2500-01 rated at 2,400 hp or VK-2500-02 variants, the Mi-28NE has a maximum takeoff weight of 12,100 kg, with normal takeoff weight between 10,900 kg and 11,150 kg depending on configuration. Maximum speed ranges from 300 km/h to 315 km/h, while cruising speed near the ground ranges from 275 km/h to 285 km/h. Operational range is 420 km to 425 km at normal weight and extends to 1,000 km to 1,015 km with increased fuel or external tanks. Service ceiling is 5,600 m to 5,650 m, with hovering ceiling out of ground effect between 3,200 m and 3,600 m. The helicopter can operate in hot and high-altitude environments, basing from sites up to 4,000 m altitude, and is supported by training systems including simulators and classrooms that reduce training time by 1.5 to 2 times and reduce airframe life consumption by up to 50 percent.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.