Mil Mi-24 is a twin-engined combat helicopter intended for close support of ground forces, destruction of armored targets and transportation of persons or cargo. The Mi-24 is not a direct counterpart to the American AH-64 Apache, since unlike this and other Western attack helicopters it is also capable of transporting up to eight troops. As a combination gunship and troop transport, the Hind combat helicopter has no direct NATO counterpart.
The combat helicopter is a flying infantry fighting vehicle, which blends features of both transport and attack helicopters. Soviet pilots called the aircraft 'letayushiy tank' or flying tank. Another common nickname is 'Krokodil' (Crocodile) - due to the helicopter's camouflage and fuselage shape. A characteristic feature of the Mi-24 is a load cabin connected with the flight-deck, which is 2.83 m long, 1.46 m wide and 1.2 m high. It is capable of accommodating up to armed 8 troops; they can fire from their small arms fixed in mountings on side windows which can be opened. The cabin is accessible by a vertically opening clamshell door on each side of the fuselage.
The appearance in the skies of the Mi-24 prototype and especially its subsequent series-produced variants aroused a large amount of interest on the part of the world aviation press. Based on conversations with specialists, especially military, who were invited as observers to various exercises and maneuvers of Warsaw Pact forces, foreign journals published quite a bit of material about this Soviet helicopter and photographs of it. This heightened interest in the Mi-24 is natural, since its creation was indeed a new step in world helicopter building, particularly military helicopter building.
The Mi-24 was the first helicopter to enter service with the Russian Air Force as an assault transport and gunship. Additional missions include direct air support, antitank, armed escort, and air to air combat. The helicopter was used extensively in the Afghanistan War, becoming the "signature" weapon of the conflict. The Russians have deployed significant numbers of HINDs in Europe and have exported the HIND to many third world countries.
The Mi-24/25 is primarily an attack helicopter, but may also be outfitted for other missions. As a transport it can carry up to eight passengers. In the transport/cargo role it can not only carry internal loads but is capable of external sling loads up to 3,000 pounds. In the air ambulance role, the Mi-24/25 can carry four stretchers and one attendant. The Mi-24/25 cockpit areas and cargo/passenger areas are sealed, environmentally controlled, over pressurized with the airflow chemically/biologically filtered. The aircraft may be equipped with additional internal fuel tanks to extend the range/endurance of the Hind.
The HIND is never employed individually -- always in sections of two and where possible in flights of six. The HIND has been used for air to air training. The Russians use balloons as air to air targets for the HIND. Unlike fixed wing aircraft the HIND lives in the helicopter flight environment and can maintain firing parameters on other helicopters for much longer periods of time than the fixed wing. Clutter from terrain flight background or flares will usually distract portable ground fired SAM-7 missiles and the STRAGGER cannot track a target moving much faster than a tank. However, a transport helicopter with a HIND on its tail is a "dead duck."
One of the special features of the Mi-24 is its speed. It was and still remains to this day the fastest combat helicopter. In 1978, a similar helicopter, given the designation A-10, set the absolute, officially recorded world speed record for "clean" helicopters — 368.4 km/h. Such high speed qualities have been achieved thanks to good aerodynamics, in particular, by using retracting landing gear.
General characteristics
* Crew: 2-3: pilot, weapons system officer and technician (optional) * Capacity: 8 troops or 4 stretchers * Length: 17.5 m (57 ft 4 in) * Rotor diameter: 17.3 m (56 ft 7 in)
* Wingspan: 6.5 m (21 ft 3 in)
* Height: 6.5 m (21 ft 3 in) * Disc area: 235 m² (2,530 ft²) * Empty weight: 8,500 kg (18,740 lb) * Max takeoff weight: 12,000 kg (26,500 lb) * Powerplant: 2× Isotov TV3-117 turbines, 1,600 kW (2,200 hp) each
Performance
* Maximum speed: 335 km/h (208 mph) * Range: 450 km (280 miles) * Service ceiling: 4,500 m (14,750 ft)
Armament
Possible armament configuration on Mi-24W Yakushev-Borzov YakB-12.7 machine gun
Internal guns
* flexible 12.7 mm Yakushev-Borzov Yak-B Gatling gun on most variants. Maximum of 1,470 rounds of ammunition. * fixed twin-barrel GSh-30K on the Mi-24P. 750 rounds of ammunition. * flexible twin-barrel GSh-23L on the Mi-24VP and Mi-24VM. 450 rounds of ammunition. * PKT passenger compartment window mounted machine guns
External stores
* Total payload is 1,500 kg of external stores. * Inner hardpoints can carry at least 500 kg * Outer hardpoints can carry up to 250 kg * Wing-tip pylons can only carry the 9M17 Phalanga (in the Mi-24A-D) or the 9K114 Shturm complex (in the Mi-24V-F).
Bomb-load
* Bombs within weight range (presumably ZAB, FAB, RBK, ODAB etc.), Up to 500 kg. * MBD multiple ejector racks (presumably MBD-4 with 4xFAB-100) * KGMU2V submunition/mine dispenser pods
First-generation armament (standard production Mi-24D)
* GUV-8700 gunpod (with a 12.7 mm Yak-B + 2x7.62 mm GShG-7.62 mm combination or one 30 mm AGS-17) * UB-32 S-5 rocket launchers * S-24 240 mm rocket * 9M17 Phalanga (a pair on each wingtip pylon)
Second-generation armament (Mi-24V, Mi-24P and most upgraded Mi-24D)
* UPK-23-250 gunpod carrying the GSh-23L * B-8V20 a lightweight long tubed helicopter version of the S-8 rocket launcher * 9K114 Shturm in pairs on the outer and wingtip pylons
And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
