Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
It was billed as an untouchable sky-beast bristling with next-generation jammers and advanced missile suites — until a cheap Ukrainian drone blew it out of the sky.
Ukraine’s 115th Separate Mechanised Brigade said on October 14 that one of its anti-aircraft FPV drones intercepted a Russian Mi-28NM attack helicopter in flight and destroyed it, releasing combat footage of the strike.
The brigade said the engagement was carried out by its “Prybultsi” (Aliens) air-defense unit.
According to the brigade, the strike itself took place on September 28, with the date held back for operational security before the footage was published this week.
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A hit on Russia’s most modern attack helicopter
“An anti-aircraft FPV drone intercepted the aircraft in midair, leaving no chance for either the machine or the crew,” the 115th Brigade said in a statement carried by United24 Media.
The target is not an older airframe. The Mi-28NM is the most advanced production version of Russia’s Mi-28 attack helicopter family, fitted with upgraded avionics and the Izdeliye 305 guided missile, which Russian sources say can engage targets at ranges of up to 25 kilometers.
Recent Mi-28NMs have also appeared with previously unseen sensors marked with the abbreviation NVCh, which analysts have described as an upgrade to the helicopter’s existing L-370 Vitebsk defensive suite or a new anti-drone system layered on top of it. The strike was carried out despite those additions.
Second similar FPV helicopter kill this year
The engagement follows a similar FPV strike by Ukraine’s 427th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade “Rarog.”
On July 15, a Rarog FPV drone struck a Russian Mi-28 at about 10:00 near the village of Vyazovoye in Russia’s Belgorod region, Hromadske reported.
That earlier strike was announced on Telegram by Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, who posted combat footage of the hit.
Taken together, the two engagements add up to a short list of confirmed Russian attack helicopters downed in flight by first-person-view drones used as aerial interceptors rather than ground-strike weapons, a role Ukrainian units have been building out as part of a cheaper, mass-produced short-range air-defense layer.
Russian authorities have not publicly confirmed the loss of the Mi-28NM.
