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The Mil Mi-24 is a large combat helicopter gunship and low-capacity troop transport operated from 1976 by the Soviet Air Force, its successors, and over thirty other nations.

Its NATO reporting name is Hind and variants are identified with an additional letter. The export versions, Mi-25 and Mi-35, are denoted as Hind D and Hind E respectively. Soviet pilots called the aircraft 'letayushiy tank' or flying tank. Another common nickname is 'Krokodil' (Crocodile) - due to the helicopter's camouflage and hull shape.

Characteristics

The core of the aircraft was taken from the Mil Mi-8 (NATO reporting name "Hip"), two top mounted turboshaft engines driving a mid-mounted 17.3 m five-blade main rotor and a three blade tail rotor. The engine positions give the aircraft its distinctive double air intake. Versions D and above include a characteristic tandem cockpit with a "double bubble" canopy. Other components of the airframe came from the Mi-14. Weapon hardpoints are provided by two short mid-mounted wings (which also provide lift), each offering three stations. The load-out mix is mission dependent; the Hind can be tasked with close air support, anti-tank operations, or aerial combat. The body is heavily armoured and the titanium rotor blades can resist impacts from 12.7 mm rounds. The cockpit is overpressurized to protect the crew in NBC conditions. The craft uses a retractable tricycle undercarriage.

Problems

The comparatively high size and weight of the Hind limit its endurance and maneuverability. In tight banking turns it can roll alarmingly as the wings lose lift - this was noted during test-flights in 1969 but has still not been entirely eliminated. To counter this vulnerability, the Russians operate the aircraft in pairs or larger groups, with attacks carefully co-ordinated to strike from multiple directions simultaneously.

Another weakness was the possibility of the main rotor striking the tail-boom during violent maneuvers. Its high loaded weight can also limit its effectiveness as a helicopter; some reports state that with a full load the Hind needs a rolling take-off and also cannot hover. The problems with the dual-role Hind have prompted the development of the Mil Mi-28 and also the Kamov Ka-50 to replace it in the gunship role.

Also, the wings interfere with the aircraft's ability to hover and take off vertically. In fact, the Hind is certified to hover for only about 200 hours during its entire lifetime, a consequence of its emphasis on forward speed.

Combat experience

The first use of the Mi-24 in combat was with the Ethiopian forces during the Ogaden War against the Somalis. The helicopters formed part of a massive airlift of military equipment from the Soviet Union, after the Soviets switched sides towards the end of 1977.

  • Invasion of Cambodia (1978) saw extensive use of Mi-24A by the Vietnamese People's Air Force. The gunships were in combat until 1986 when the Khmer Rouge was chased back to Thailand's border.

The aircraft was operated extensively during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, mainly for bombing Mujahideen fighters. The US supplied heat-seeking Stinger missiles to the Mujahideen, and the Soviet Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters proved to be favorite targets of the rebels.

The Hind gunships constituted a part of the 333 helicopters lost during combat operations in Afghanistan, an unknown number to ground fire. The cockpit was heavily armoured and could withstand even .50 cal rounds, but the Hinds tail is extremely vulnerable due to the lack of armour in that section.

The heat-seeking nature of the anti-aircraft weapons employed by the Mujahideen combined with the Hinds exhaust being directly under the main rotor caused the aircraft to disintegrate if hit. This was remedied later by countermeasure flares and a missile warning system being installed into all Soviet Mi-4, Mi-8, and Mi-24 helicopters giving the pilot a chance to evade the missile or crash-land.

During this conflict, the Hind proved effective and very reliable, earning the respect of both Soviet pilots and the Mujahideen, who scattered as quickly as possible when Soviet target designation flares were lit nearby. The Mujahideen nicknamed the Mi-24 as the "Devil's Chariot" due to its notorious reputation. One Afghan rebel said "We do not fear the Soviets. We fear their helicopters."

The Hind saw considerable use by the Iraqi Army during the long war with their neighbour, Iran. Its heavy armament was a key factor in causing severe damage to Iranian ground forces. This war saw the only confirmed air-to-air helicopter battles in history with the Iraqi Hinds flying against Iranian AH-1J SeaCobras (supplied by the US military) on many separate occasions.

Hinds were also used by the Sandinista Army during the civil war of the 1980s.

The Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka used Hinds when an Indian Air Force detachment was deployed there in support of the Indian and Sri Lankan armed forces in their fight against various Tamil groups such as the LTTE. It is believed that Indian losses were considerably reduced due to the heavy fire support provided by their Hind gunships. The aircraft was greatly feared by LTTE cadres, being responsible for tremendous death and destruction wreaked upon their formations and facilities.

Currently the Sri Lanka Air Force operates a mixture of Mi24/35P and Mi24V/35 versions.Some have recently been upgraded with modern Israeli FLIR and EW systems. Due to LTTE MANPADS a number of them have been lost to hostile action*.

  • Gulf War (1991) The Hind was again employed heavily by Iraqis during their invasion of Kuwait, although most were withdrawn by Saddam Hussein when it became apparent that he would need them to retain his grip on power in the aftermath of the war. A few examples later were sent over the border into Iran, along with many other Iraqi military aircraft in the hope of temporarily preventing them from being destroyed by allied air strikes. However, as with the other Iraqi aircraft, the Iranians kept them and used them in their own service.

    First shown in 1993, they were used in Operation Storm in 1995.

    During both wars in the Russian republic of Chechnya, beginning in 1994 and 1999 respectively, Mi-24s were employed by the Russian armed forces. As with Afghanistan, however, the Mi-24s were vulnerable to rebel tactics. Dozens are believed to have been shot down or crashed during military operations. A contributing cause to these crashes is the poor maintenance given to these aging helicopters.

    The Sudanese air force acquired six Mi-24's in 1995 which were used in Southern Sudan and the Nuba mountains to engage the SPLA. At least two aircraft were lost within the first year of operation while not in combat, but may have been replaced.

    A further twelve were bought in 2001 * and used extensively in the oilfields of Southern Sudan. Mi-24's were also deployed to Darfur in 2004-2005.

    • Macedonia (February 2001-August 2001) The Macedonian armed forces used the Mi-24V, which were supplied by Ukraine, against Albanian fighters.

      This UN peace keeping mission employed the Mi-25/35 helicopters from the Indian Air Force to give support to the mission. The IAF has been operating the region since 2003.

      Polish contingent in Iraq is using six Mi-24D since November 2004.

      Variants

      The Hind went from drawing board in 1968 to first test-flights in less than eighteen months. First models were delivered to the armed forces for evaluation in 1970. The Mi-24A (Hind-B) did have a number of problems - lateral roll, weapon sighting problems, and limited field of view for the pilot. A heavy redesign of the aircraft front section solved most of these problems.

      • V-24 (Hind) - The first version of this helicopter, were twelve prototypes and development aircraft. One such prototype was modified in 1975 as A-10 for successful speed record attempts (having reached 368km/h) with wings removed and faired over and with inertia-type dampers on the main rotor head.
      • Mi-24 (Hind-A) - Other early versions were the armed assault helicopter, which could carry eight combat troops and three crew members. It could also carry four 57-mm rocket pods on four underwing pylons, four 9M17 Falanga (AT-2 Swatter) anti-tank missiles on two underwing rails, free-fall bombs, plus one 12.7-mm machine-gun in the nose. The Mi-24 (Hind-A) was the first production model.
      • Mi-24A (Hind-B) - The Hind-A was followed up by the second production model the. Both the Mi-24 and Mi-24A entered Soviet Air Force service in 1973 or 1974.
      • Mi-24U (Hind-C) - Training version without any armament.

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Mil Mi-24".

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