Mi-24 "spotted" in Yemen - the Houthi rebels deployed an attack helicopter when attacking the Saudi coalition forces in the Maghreb province, were able to reverse the situation and pushed the enemy back. About the combat past and present of the Mi-24 - in the column of the military journalist Viktor Sokirko. Why the Mi-24 attack helicopter was nicknamed "Crocodile" in the army is not known for certain. Most likely, for some external similarity - an elongated body, a pot-bellied "belly" and a tail. Plus incredible power and aggressiveness in the attack, which few people want to experience on themselves. The unofficial name "Crocodile" stuck during the Soviet war in Afghanistan, where the Mi-24 actively participated in hostilities and proved to be excellent. And if you say the word "crocodile" to a military man, he will first of all think not about alligators, but about helicopters.
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In the US Army, the Mi-24 is called differently: according to NATO classification, it is Hihd - "Doe", because of the high speed qualities of the helicopter. The Americans have always closely watched this combat rotorcraft, and they themselves used the Mi-24 during exercises.
It is clear that not for subsequent purchases, but as an imitation of potential adversary's helicopters. Two Mi-24 attack helicopters (they were purchased in Bulgaria, where they were in service) were used in 2020 during the exercises of the 55th US Air Force Squadron near the Mexican border to assess the capabilities of their pilots during air combat. At the same time, we tested our upgraded helicopter version of the Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk.
It was not by chance that the Americans chose the Mi-24 as the "enemy" for their HH-60G Pave Hawk - it became the world's first helicopter armed with air-to-air missiles. And I have used them successfully many times.
A unique case is known when, in 1982, in the skies over Libya, a Syrian Mi-24 shot down an Israeli supersonic F-4 Phantom, which attacked a helicopter, but betrayed itself by radar radiation. The Crocodile turned in the air and launched two R-60 air-to-air missiles from a distance of 8 kilometers. Both hit the mark.
In the same year, an Iraqi Mi-24 shot down a Phantom belonging to Iran. Victories over aircraft from the Mi-24 helicopter were also recorded over American F-86 fighters and A-37 attack aircraft in Nicaragua. By the way, it was the Iranian-Iraqi war, which lasted from September 1980 to August 1988, that for the first time in history became an air battlefield between helicopters. The collisions were mainly attended by Mi-24 and AN-1 "Cobra" helicopters - with the obvious advantage of the "Crocodiles".
The Mi-24 (now in export version it is the Mi-35M AN-2 Saabre) is in service not only with Russia, but also with a number of other countries "unfriendly" to the United States, such as Iran, Venezuela, North Korea and others. Including an unknown number of Mi-35s were delivered to Yemen. In total, 60 states are operating the Mi-24 in varying numbers.
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Our "old man" (serial production of the Mi-24 began in 1972), judging by the reviews of the American press and the military themselves, did not disappoint at the US Air Force exercises and held on with dignity.
The Aviationist (one of the most authoritative sites in the field of military aviation) has published an article which claims that "the Soviet-Russian Mi-24 attack helicopter used during the Afghan war has shown itself to be a highly effective weapon system."
"Training with the use of Mi-24 attack is a serious step forward, which allows us to draw conclusions about the capabilities of our helicopters, the relevance of our tactics, the procedures and weapons used," - quoted the publication of the representative of the US air base, Captain Kurt Wallin.
Another of the main features of the Russian attack helicopter is the availability of reservations. On the Mi-24, these are frontal bulletproof glass, armored seats and armor plates on the sides of the pilot's and operator's cabins and on the engine hoods. In Afghanistan, the Crocodile's frontal armored glass was never pierced, although it received a lot of bullet marks during combat missions.
The Mi-24 can also carry very powerful and varied weapons. The full combat load is up to 2,400 kilograms (the ammunition load of the T-72 tank, for comparison, weighs less than a ton). In Afghanistan, the standard load of the Mi-24 consisted of two blocks of unguided aircraft missiles, two FAB-250 aerial bombs and ammunition for a cannon or machine gun.
The Russian army knows the real price of this helicopter - the Mi-24 proved to be excellent not only in Afghanistan, but also during the two Chechen wars, and even now in Syria it effectively supports the Russian contingent from the air.
bbabo.Net