Russia's Shvabe optical electronics company, part of the Rostec state corporation, and the Russian Helicopters company have produced the first Mi-17V-5 military transport helicopter fitted with a GOES-321MK optoelectronic imaging system enabling the vehicle to carry out attacks in complete darkness, local media said Monday.

"GOES-321MK is based on a high-resolution Full HD camera and a highly sensitive thermal imaging mid-infrared frequency sensor. The thermal sensor captures heat radiated by objects such as tanks or other equipment and heat produced by the human body. In turn, the highly sensitive low-level camera allows additional surveying capacities in low lighting," Sergey Popov, Shvabe’s deputy CEO for innovation development told the Izvestia newspaper. The device is a significant breakthrough in imaging, he added, stressing that such a multifunctional system, which allows helicopter pilots to navigate in the most challenging situations, did not previously exist in the country.

When flying at a low level, a helicopter equipped with a GOES-321MK system would be capable of detecting objects and obstacles at a distance of up to several miles away, according to Popov.