A video has emerged that is said to show a Russian-made Mi-28NE Havoc attack helicopter flying over the Iranian capital Tehran. Last week, images also appeared online that appeared to show at least one Mi-28NE in Iran. The arrival of the Havocs in Iran could also indicate the delivery of weapons and other materials from Russia, or plans to do so soon, amid a new rise in geopolitical friction between the Middle Eastern country and the United States.
TWZ could not independently confirm where and when the footage in question, seen in the social media post above, was taken. However, the images that began circulating online last week appear to have been taken in a hangar belonging to Iran’s Pars Aerospace Services Company (PASC). Located at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport, PASC is linked to Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and is subject to sanctions in the United States and other Western countries.
One of the images that started circulating online last week was said to show an Mi-28 in Iran. through X
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Iran is believed to have received the first batch of Mil Mi-28NE attack helicopters ordered from Russia.
Photos of a Mil Mi-28 helicopter in digital camouflage from the desert, stationed in a hangar, appeared on social networks.
— Status-6 (War and Military News) (@Archer83Able) January 28, 2026
The geographic location of the depot where the photo of the Mil-28 helicopter recently delivered to Iran is taken. Pars Aerospace Services Company in Tehran. 35.69899, 51.29459 pic.twitter.com/VV7ruGVPWj
Additionally, on Jan. 3, Iranian journalist Mohamad Taheri wrote, “Inshallah you have a good military service,” according to a machine translation of a Persian-language post on X, which included a stock image of an Mi-28 wearing a two-tone desert camouflage scheme. Taheri was associated with quasi-official Iran Tasnim News Agency. squirt was among the first to report on a possible Iranian purchase of Havocs, as well as Su-35 Flanker fighters and Yak-130 trainers, by 2023. Yak-130s appeared in Iran that same year. There had been talk of a batch of Su-35s originally built for Egypt but never delivered, being sent to the Iranians instead. However, at least some of those planes instead appeared in Algeria last year.
The two-seat Mi-28 originated before the fall of the Soviet Union, with the original variant making its first flight in the 1980s. The project was abandoned in the 1990s and then revived. The first version to enter actual operational service was the Mi-28N in the late 2000s. Russia later introduced an NE export version, various sub-variants of which have been delivered to foreign customers in the past. A further improved NM variant for the Russian military was also developed in the 2010s, but was slow to enter operational service. You can read more about the Mi-28 family in the past TWZ characteristic.
An example of the latest Mi-2NM variant. Russian Ministry of Defense
Mi-28NE in Iraqi service. The outline of a Mi-24 Hind gunship is also seen on the right. Iraqi army
The Mi-28s are armed with a 30 mm autocannon in a turret under the nose and can carry various munitions, including anti-tank guided missiles and unguided missiles, on four pylons, two on each of a pair of stub wings on either side of the fuselage. The default sensor suite on the Mi-28N includes a mast-mounted radar and an infrared video camera with a nose turret.
The exact configuration of any Mi-28s for Iran, and how many the country might have ordered in total, is unclear. The recently released video is too low quality to see fine details, although it appears to be equipped with a mast-mounted radar, which was missing from certain other export versions of the Havoc. The still images show a partially disassembled helicopter, which also makes it very difficult to assess the overall configuration. The images also do not provide a clear view of the nose, where various sensors are located, as well as the main gun with a turret.
Russian Helicopters, Russia’s leading helicopter conglomerate today, also unveiled an improved NE variant in 2018, which was said to incorporate lessons learned from the Syrian conflict. It included an infrared directional countermeasures system to provide additional defense against heat-seeking missiles, as well as other survivability enhancements. It had new engine air filters, a particularly desirable feature for operations in desert environments, and also a digital camouflage scheme. The Mi-28 seen in images released last week appears to have air filters, although they are covered by tarps and has a digital paint job.
An image depicting a Mi-28NE attack helicopter recently delivered from Russia to Iran, showing digital desert camouflage and lacking specialized screen escape devices (SEDs), also known as infrared signature suppressors. https://t.co/e6AZK0g7OW pic.twitter.com/Etc5eo4RPo
The new Mi-28s in any configuration would be a notable addition to Iran’s arsenal. The main attack helicopter in Iran’s service today is the AH-1J International Cobra, which the country first acquired during the Shah’s reign. The Islamic Republic has made some improvements to its AH-1 fleet since the 1970s, with the resulting helicopters being variously called Toufans or Panha 2091. However, they are essentially American-made helicopters that are increasingly difficult for the current regime in Tehran to sustain. The Havoc is more survivable and can also carry a larger weapon load.
If Iran’s Mi-28s feature an infrared sensor turret and mast-mounted radar, the helicopters could provide an even greater increase in capability, even at night or in inclement weather. This, in turn, could be valuable in responding to any type of future foreign land incursion or internal threats to the regime. At the same time, when an Iranian Havoc fleet might reach a level of real operational capability, and how well the country is able to sustain the helicopters in the future, remains to be seen. Moscow’s demands in connection with the war in Ukraine have created additional challenges for foreign operators of helicopters and other Russian-made equipment.
As noted, the appearance of Mi-28s in Iran could also reflect greater supplies of weapons and other materials from Russia, or the potential for this to occur in the near future. In January, online flight tracking data showed at least five flights of Russian Il-76s to Iran that may have carried Havocs or other cargo. Those aircraft could also have brought cargo back to Russia from Iran or carried payloads both ways. Ties between Moscow and Tehran have generally grown in recent years as Russia has found itself increasingly isolated globally due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Much has been made of Iran receiving in-kind exchanges for its support of the Russian war effort.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 shows that at least five Russian Il-76 cargo planes have flown to Tehran in the past 48 hours, indicating an increase in undeclared Russian deliveries to Iran. pic.twitter.com/jLP8bz45iA
Additionally, since the end of the 12-Day War with Israel, Iran has sought to bolster the various ends of its depleted arsenal. There have been reports that Iran has also sought new air defense systems from China, another country with which the Tehran regime has worked to expand ties. It appears that China continues to be an important source of material to support Iran’s missile programs.
The images of the Mi-28 have emerged amid a fresh rise in geopolitical friction with the United States. Just today, US authorities announced that an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is flying from the USS aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, shot down an Iranian drone that had “aggressively approached” the ship. US officials also accused the IRGC of harassing a US-flagged commercial vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
All this follows a major build-up of US military forces in the region for several weeks, along with a steady stream of reports that US President Donald Trump is considering further strikes on Iran, at least in part in retaliation for that country’s violent crackdown on nationwide protests last month. Trump has also expressed an interest in finding some sort of negotiated arrangement with Tehran, with reports that US and Iranian officials could meet as early as Friday in Turkey.
Speaking earlier on Fox News, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirms the downing of an Iranian drone that was “acting aggressively” toward the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) over the Arabian Sea today, although she says President Trump remains committed to… pic.twitter.com/sVPzPjZIy8
When it comes to the Mi-28 for Iran, evidence is mounting that at least one of the helicopters has now been delivered and more details may continue to emerge now.
