Mil Mi-24/Mi-35

 The Mil Mi-24 (NATO designation “Hind”) is one of the most widely known assault helicopters in the world, and remains in service in 50 countries. It entered service with the Russian Air Force as an assault gunship and transport, and was developed on the propulsion system of the Mi-8. These improvements allow the helicopter to participate in missions as direct air support, an anti-tank weapon, an armed escort, and air-to-air combat aircraft. The Mi-24 is a very similar to the American-made AH-64 “Apache,” but unlike Western assault helicopters, it is also able to transport up to eight troops.

The five-blade main rotor of the Mi-24 is mounted atop of the fuselage midsection, while its short, weapon-carrying wings are mounted at the sides of this section. Its two turboshaft engines are then mounted above the midsection of the body with two air intakes located just above the cockpit; exhaust ports are located on the sides of the engines. Its swept-back tapered tail fin features a rotor on the right-hand side with tapered flats on a boom just forward of the fin. External stores are mounted on store points on the external under-wing. Each wing has three hard points with a total of six stations.

Variants of the Mil Mi-24 include:

• Mi-24D/HIND D – Direct air support

• Mi-24V/HIND E – Most proliferated version, direct air support

• Mi-24P/HIND F – Direct air support with fixed twin gun cut in the turret profile

• Mi-24R/HIND G-1 – NBC sampling with mechanisms to collect air and soil samples, filter air, and place marker flares

• Mi-24K/HIND G-2 – Features cameras in the cabin, gun, and rocket pods for photo-recon and artillery spotting

• Mi-25 – Export version of HIND D

• Mi-35 – Export version of the HIND E with a twin-barrel 23mm gun

• Mi-35P – Export version of the HIND F

 For additional information on the Mi-24 “Hind,” other military aircrafts and defense weapons, military training and education, or procurement services, contact the experts at UDC USA today.