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The type was finally accepted for serial production and formally introduced into Soviet military service in 1972 - beginning the legacy of what would become the most remembered and identifiable Soviet military machine of the Cold War and staff multitudes of inventories of Warsaw Pact nations. This produced several design changes to the original arrangement (including flipping the direction of the tail rotor and adding the Hind-style ordnance-carrying wings to the mix). These prototypes were eventually joined y ten developmental vehicles which eventually culminated in evaluations beginning June of 1970. The cockpit design saw the pilot and co-pilot seated in tandem under a joined glass cockpit, heavily framed and boxy in appearance.įirst flight of a prototype occurred on September 19th, 1969, this days after a tethered prototype went airborne. The fuselage was all-new in its design approach, intended to provide a much smaller head-on target to the enemy. This included the engine arrangement as well as a slightly-modified main rotor attached to a two-person cockpit ahead of a passenger cabin. The official Mil design (to be known as the Mi-24) was signed off in February of 1969.ĭevelopment of the new helicopter essentially stemmed from the strengths of Mil's preceding product - the Mi-8 "Hip". The formal Soviet request occurred on May 6th, 1968 for a heavily armed and armored, twin-engine helicopter of great capability an survivability. Mil - with founder Mikhail Mil in the lead role himself - eventually was tabbed for the endeavor and the ground work was laid for a competing armed helicopter of Soviet origin. The Soviets initially took to arming their Mil Mi-4 "Hound" helicopters for the role but this was nothing more than an interim attempt.
American involvement in the Vietnam War ushered in the new and viable concept of the armed helicopter as both transport and gunnery platform and Soviet authorities were convinced of a similar design. Various designs were tossed about with the Soviet firm of Mil heading the initiative. While armored vehicle carriers certainly had their place in Soviet doctrine, thought was given to move mechanized warfare into a new category by delivering a heavily armed assault helicopter capable of transporting combat-ready personnel into critical situations. War across Europe - should the Cold War ever go hot - would involve the coordination of thousands of troops coupled with air support and ground support to wage an effective war along multiple fronts. The Korean War saw the first large-scale use of the helicopter in a variety of roles and the Soviet Army lacked any viable use of the vehicle type.
While the Mi-28 is a more dedicated anti-tank platform developed specifically to combat enemy armor with crew and systems survivability as a priority, the Mi-24 - its days appearing numbered - still finds a use on the battlefields of today.įollowing the end of hostilities that was the Korean War, attention turned to the evolving nature of the battlefield as it related to the helicopter. Its strengths have been formulated into the more potent Mil Mi-28 "Havoc" which is currently seeing deliveries to the Russian Army. The Hind remains a feared, flexible and proven battlefield implement.
The type went on to see combat operations throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s and continues on in a more assault-oriented role even today - despite its Cold War upbringing. American activity in the Vietnam War considering their helicopter usage directly influenced the form and function of the Soviet design, developing one of the most iconic aircraft of its time. The famous Mil Mi-24 "Hind" helicopter stemmed from a Soviet Cold-War requirement for a heavily armed and armored transport helicopter following in the mold of the equally famous American Bell UH-1 "Huey" model.