The Mil Mi-24 Hind is a gunshiptransport helicopter developed by the former Soviet Union (Russia). There are 6 basic variants and several sub-variants and exported to over 50 nations. In the west, it goes by the North Atlantic Treaty (NATO) designation, Hind.
The development of the Hind started as early as the 1960s by the Mil design bureau who saw the potential of the helicopter not only as a form of transport but also as a flying weapons platform after keenly observing the use of helicopters by the Americans during the Vietnam War. After seeing the Americans make use of the helicopter in a ground support role, the Russians followed suit. However, unlike the American UH-1 Huey which cannot perform the two roles of transport and gunship at the same time, the Russians intend to design a helicopter that can perform both roles.
The large body of the Hind is a derivative of the Mi-8 (Hip) transport helicopter. It has two turboshaft engines mounted at the top which is crowned by a 5-blade main rotor and a 3-blade tail rotor which can be folded to allow for loading in ships or large transport aircraft. Another feature is the pylon which are sometimes mistaken or regarded as wings with a 12-degree anhedral. They were added to the aircraft to prevent it from doing a Dutch Roll or uncontrollable waggling at high speeds.
The earlier model Hinds had an angular greenhouse canopy while the later models starting with the D-model has a tandem cockpit that houses the pilot and gunner in separate stations topped by a bubble canopy for each station (Gordon Kommisarov, 2001).
Survivability is one of the key characteristics of the Hind. Being a gunship intended to provide close air support to ground forces and to provide rapid deployment and extraction, the helicopter needs to be tough enough to take enemy fire and be safely return to base. The armored body of the Hind is strong enough to resist .50 caliber rounds. During the Cold War, the west was the enemy and in anticipation of a potential conflict, they designed the Hind in a way to enable it to be up to the challenge posed by western weaponry. The cockpit section is reinforced with titanium tubs to protect both the pilot and gunner. The main rotor is made of titanium to enable it to withstand hits from all but the heaviest armaments as well. The Hind is also capable of auto-rotation in the event of severe damage. Through this method, the engines are shut off and the helicopter merely glides down to the ground while the rotors are spinning. In the hot and dusty environment of Afghanistan, the Hind is fitted with intake filters to prevent fine sand or dust from entering the engines where it could foul up the turbines. These features make the Hind a very rugged and robust helicopter that gives it an edge over the more sophisticated models fielded by western armies.
The wings of the Hind serve as weapons pylons and can carry a variety of armaments such as 23mm gun pods, anti-tank missiles and dumb rockets for dealing with enemy troops. The gunner also controls an integral chin-mounted 23mm cannon as well. In addition to these armaments, the Hind can also be configured for air-to-air combat with other helicopters by mounting surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) on its wings. For additional firepower, a 7.62mm machine gun is mounted on the windows beside the cargo door and manned by the crew chieftechnician who would simply switch to the other side should any enemy force emerge.
Another key characteristic of the Hind is its speed. Despite its large body and role as an airborne troop carrier, the body of the Hind is streamlined to compliment the 1,700 horsepower Izotov turboshaft engines to further prevent drag, the Hind is fitted with a retractable landing gear instead of skids or fixed wheels. However, its speed is negated whenever it is carrying troops in its transport role making it rather difficult for it to engage in its gunship role which requires agile manoeuvrability.
The Hind in Syrian Service
Among the various nations that imported the Hind, Syria is one of the principal users. Following a series of defeats at the hands of their numerically inferior but qualitatively superior neighbour, Israel in previous wars, Syria rebuilt its armed forces with the Soviet Union as its chief supplier of military armament although they also acquire their military hardware from other states. Among the weaponry they have acquired, they picked the Mi-24 Hind over other the choices besides the fact that they are the client state of the Soviet Union.
They liked the ruggedness and simplicity (maintenance-wise) of the Hinds as opposed to the seemingly flimsy build of helicopters built in western countries that also require higher maintenance such as the French-built Aerospatiale Gazelle. The Syrian military leaders see the Hind as suitable for the environment where it will be operating owing to the dust filters that can be used to protect the engines from the very fine dust that is a staple in the desert environment of the Middle East. The Syrians received their Hinds in the 1980s and were pressed into service with the Syrian Air Force after a long wait as the Soviets were keeping the Hinds they had in Europe to face down the forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Germany during the 1970s . As a stopgap, the Syrians acquired Gazelles until the Soviets were finally able to deliver Mi-25 Hinds, the export version of the Mi-24 (Cooper, 2004).
Contrary to earlier reports or accounts, Syrian Hinds did not see action during the conflict in Lebanon as the Syrians once again went toe-to-toe with their Israeli adversaries. Instead, the Gazelles were the ones sent into action. This was because there not enough Hinds for the Syrians to field and as a result, the handful of Hinds the Syrians had sat out the entire conflict against the Israelis. Surprisingly, even though the Syrians werent able to stop the Israeli advance into Lebanon, they have still acquitted themselves by giving a proverbial bloody nose to the Israelis in the early stages of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. During the conflict, the Syrians utilized the hunter-killer tactics against the Israelis using intelligence which told them where the Israelis were likely to go. The Syrian Air Force attack helicopters would team up with special units of the Syrian Army as they prepare to engage the Israelis once again. The tactic was very simple. The ground forces would ambush advancing Israeli forces and tie them down while the helicopter gunships (Gazelles) would move in and finish the job. The tactic worked as the Syrian hunter-killer team inflicted heavy losses against Israels vaunted tank force which included their new Merkava main battle tank which proved to be very vulnerable when attacked from above where the roof armor is very thin. But in a bid to promote the Hind, the Soviets fabricated reports that gave the Hinds credit for savaging the Israeli armoured spearheads which eventually be picked up by western intelligence services and were convinced of the Hinds capabilities (Cooper, 2004).
The Hinds would belatedly see action throughout the civil war which would ravage Lebanon throughout the 1980s and ironically alongside the Allied coalition forces during Operation Desert Shield and Storm as Syrias former Soviet-built weaponry were deployed alongside western-made weaponry they were supposed to oppose (Trustees of the Royal Air Force Museum, 2008). But even though they missed a chance to take on the Israelis, the Hinds would have fared equally better had they been fielded along with the Gazelles. The Gazelles speed and agility and the Hinds speed and ruggedness would have made a formidable pair alongside the anti-tank infantry forces of the hunter-killer team. Nevertheless, the success of the tactic was not forgotten and continues to be applied in the Syrian armed forces inventory as they now have enough Hinds to do the job as the Gazelles.
The development of the Hind started as early as the 1960s by the Mil design bureau who saw the potential of the helicopter not only as a form of transport but also as a flying weapons platform after keenly observing the use of helicopters by the Americans during the Vietnam War. After seeing the Americans make use of the helicopter in a ground support role, the Russians followed suit. However, unlike the American UH-1 Huey which cannot perform the two roles of transport and gunship at the same time, the Russians intend to design a helicopter that can perform both roles.
The large body of the Hind is a derivative of the Mi-8 (Hip) transport helicopter. It has two turboshaft engines mounted at the top which is crowned by a 5-blade main rotor and a 3-blade tail rotor which can be folded to allow for loading in ships or large transport aircraft. Another feature is the pylon which are sometimes mistaken or regarded as wings with a 12-degree anhedral. They were added to the aircraft to prevent it from doing a Dutch Roll or uncontrollable waggling at high speeds.
The earlier model Hinds had an angular greenhouse canopy while the later models starting with the D-model has a tandem cockpit that houses the pilot and gunner in separate stations topped by a bubble canopy for each station (Gordon Kommisarov, 2001).
Survivability is one of the key characteristics of the Hind. Being a gunship intended to provide close air support to ground forces and to provide rapid deployment and extraction, the helicopter needs to be tough enough to take enemy fire and be safely return to base. The armored body of the Hind is strong enough to resist .50 caliber rounds. During the Cold War, the west was the enemy and in anticipation of a potential conflict, they designed the Hind in a way to enable it to be up to the challenge posed by western weaponry. The cockpit section is reinforced with titanium tubs to protect both the pilot and gunner. The main rotor is made of titanium to enable it to withstand hits from all but the heaviest armaments as well. The Hind is also capable of auto-rotation in the event of severe damage. Through this method, the engines are shut off and the helicopter merely glides down to the ground while the rotors are spinning. In the hot and dusty environment of Afghanistan, the Hind is fitted with intake filters to prevent fine sand or dust from entering the engines where it could foul up the turbines. These features make the Hind a very rugged and robust helicopter that gives it an edge over the more sophisticated models fielded by western armies.
The wings of the Hind serve as weapons pylons and can carry a variety of armaments such as 23mm gun pods, anti-tank missiles and dumb rockets for dealing with enemy troops. The gunner also controls an integral chin-mounted 23mm cannon as well. In addition to these armaments, the Hind can also be configured for air-to-air combat with other helicopters by mounting surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) on its wings. For additional firepower, a 7.62mm machine gun is mounted on the windows beside the cargo door and manned by the crew chieftechnician who would simply switch to the other side should any enemy force emerge.
Another key characteristic of the Hind is its speed. Despite its large body and role as an airborne troop carrier, the body of the Hind is streamlined to compliment the 1,700 horsepower Izotov turboshaft engines to further prevent drag, the Hind is fitted with a retractable landing gear instead of skids or fixed wheels. However, its speed is negated whenever it is carrying troops in its transport role making it rather difficult for it to engage in its gunship role which requires agile manoeuvrability.
The Hind in Syrian Service
Among the various nations that imported the Hind, Syria is one of the principal users. Following a series of defeats at the hands of their numerically inferior but qualitatively superior neighbour, Israel in previous wars, Syria rebuilt its armed forces with the Soviet Union as its chief supplier of military armament although they also acquire their military hardware from other states. Among the weaponry they have acquired, they picked the Mi-24 Hind over other the choices besides the fact that they are the client state of the Soviet Union.
They liked the ruggedness and simplicity (maintenance-wise) of the Hinds as opposed to the seemingly flimsy build of helicopters built in western countries that also require higher maintenance such as the French-built Aerospatiale Gazelle. The Syrian military leaders see the Hind as suitable for the environment where it will be operating owing to the dust filters that can be used to protect the engines from the very fine dust that is a staple in the desert environment of the Middle East. The Syrians received their Hinds in the 1980s and were pressed into service with the Syrian Air Force after a long wait as the Soviets were keeping the Hinds they had in Europe to face down the forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Germany during the 1970s . As a stopgap, the Syrians acquired Gazelles until the Soviets were finally able to deliver Mi-25 Hinds, the export version of the Mi-24 (Cooper, 2004).
Contrary to earlier reports or accounts, Syrian Hinds did not see action during the conflict in Lebanon as the Syrians once again went toe-to-toe with their Israeli adversaries. Instead, the Gazelles were the ones sent into action. This was because there not enough Hinds for the Syrians to field and as a result, the handful of Hinds the Syrians had sat out the entire conflict against the Israelis. Surprisingly, even though the Syrians werent able to stop the Israeli advance into Lebanon, they have still acquitted themselves by giving a proverbial bloody nose to the Israelis in the early stages of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. During the conflict, the Syrians utilized the hunter-killer tactics against the Israelis using intelligence which told them where the Israelis were likely to go. The Syrian Air Force attack helicopters would team up with special units of the Syrian Army as they prepare to engage the Israelis once again. The tactic was very simple. The ground forces would ambush advancing Israeli forces and tie them down while the helicopter gunships (Gazelles) would move in and finish the job. The tactic worked as the Syrian hunter-killer team inflicted heavy losses against Israels vaunted tank force which included their new Merkava main battle tank which proved to be very vulnerable when attacked from above where the roof armor is very thin. But in a bid to promote the Hind, the Soviets fabricated reports that gave the Hinds credit for savaging the Israeli armoured spearheads which eventually be picked up by western intelligence services and were convinced of the Hinds capabilities (Cooper, 2004).
The Hinds would belatedly see action throughout the civil war which would ravage Lebanon throughout the 1980s and ironically alongside the Allied coalition forces during Operation Desert Shield and Storm as Syrias former Soviet-built weaponry were deployed alongside western-made weaponry they were supposed to oppose (Trustees of the Royal Air Force Museum, 2008). But even though they missed a chance to take on the Israelis, the Hinds would have fared equally better had they been fielded along with the Gazelles. The Gazelles speed and agility and the Hinds speed and ruggedness would have made a formidable pair alongside the anti-tank infantry forces of the hunter-killer team. Nevertheless, the success of the tactic was not forgotten and continues to be applied in the Syrian armed forces inventory as they now have enough Hinds to do the job as the Gazelles.
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