Uzbekistan gets Mi-35M attack helicopters.

According to a report from the Uzbek television channel O'zbekiston 24, the Khanabad air base of the Air Defense Forces of Uzbekistan received their first Mi-35M combat helicopters

 Russian Mi-35M helicopter (Picture source: Air Recognition)

Russian media reported last month that an initial delivery, believed to be of four helicopters,  had taken place.

The Mi-35M combat-transport helicopter is designed to provide fire support to ground troops, conduct air escort missions, transport soldiers, and evacuate casualties. The rotorcraft can be operated in combat, assault, transport, and medevac configurations.

The Mi-35M helicopter is fitted with a powerful armament suite that incorporates a flexible gun mount with a 23 mm GSh-23L cannon with an ammunition load of 450 rounds, up to 80 80 mm S-8 unguided rockets, up to eight anti-tank guided missiles, gun pods with 23 mm gun armament (each pod has an ammunition load of 250 rounds), and a Kord 12.7 mm heavy machinegun. To operate these weapons effectively, the Mi-35M helicopter is fitted with an up-to-date onboard radio-electronic suite that provides round-the clock usage of the rotor-wing aircraft and weapons.

The Mi-35M has a maximum take-off weight of 11,500 kg, a maximum external payload of 2,400 kg, a maximum speed of 315 km/h, a cruise speed of 260 km/h, a flight range of 415-1,085 km (depending on the variant), a dynamic ceiling of 5,700 m, a static ceiling of 3,100 m, a crew of two pilots, and a passenger capacity of eight soldiers.