The combination of a lower price tag compared to the Mi-28NE and Ka-52, plus a high degree of commonality with the legacy Hind derivatives operated by tens of counties around the world, still makes the Mi-35M a cost-effective proposition for customers in developing countries

The continuing export demand for the new-build Hinds is expected to keep the production line up and running at Rostvertol well into the mid-2020s

The Mi-35M comes armed with a nose-mounted GSh-23L twin-barrel gun in the NPPU-24 turret provided with 470 rounds, and the gun armament can also include two UPK-23-350 pods with the same GSh-23L, provided with 250 rounds

The redesigned and digitised Mi-35M/Ps are being promoted as leading the way as potent and well-armoured gunships, endowed with round-the-clock attack capabilities and improved guided weapons

RuASF’s Army Aviation Branch took its first two Mi-35Ms in December 2011 and deliveries continued until 2019

In November 2013, the Iraqi Army Aviation Service got its first Mi-35Ms. A total of 28 examples were taken on strength, this way making Iraq the biggest export customer for the type

The Mi-35M is a facelift of the Mi-24/35 family of attack helicopters and combines a large number of airframe alterations with a new rotor system using the Mi-28N’s main rotor hub and composite blades and the X-shaped low-noise tail rotor

Mi-35M/P’s main armament consists of up to eight Ataka-V or Ataka-1 affordable tube-launched anti-tank guided missiles with a maximum range of 3.13nm or alternatively up to six Vikhr-1/1Ms (seen here), with up to 4.2nm range

The current backlog and the expected demand for the Mi-35P/M would guarantee a busy Rostvertol production line at least until the mid-2020s

An armoured attack helicopter with sophisticated targeting systems and guided weapons, additionally the Mi-35M has a robust assault transport capability - its spacious cabin can hold eight fully equipped troops

The air-to-air capability for the new-generation Hind is provided by the integration of the 9M342 Igla-S heat-seeking missiles with a range is of up to 3.2nm carried in Srtelets twin-round launcher packs

The Mi-35M’s OPS-24 observation/targeting package is centred around the GOES-342 payload under the nose, integrating a FLIR, Sony TV camera, laser-rangefinder and infrared goniometer, while an improved derivative unveiled in 2018 also sports a laser-beam missile guidance system

A scan inside the Mi-35M’s pilot cockpit