Tag Archives: russia

Zombie ‘Copter: How the Hind returned to Afghanistan, and why it won’t die

Video May 8, 2020 Hutchins AAron

The first time the Afghan military used the NATO-reporting-name Hind was during the Soviet occupation (1979-1989). It was during that occupation that Mujaheddin on the receiving end of the Mi-24D nicknamed it Satan’s Chariot. After the Soviets left, Afghanistan managed to operate a few Mi-24s (NATO reporting-name Hind-D), some sources say right up until the 2001 U.S. invasion.

Apparently the Mil 35 is the export version of the Mil 24V (NATO reporting-name Hind-E), and apparently there’s wasn’t much difference between the Soviet version and the export version. However, don’t confuse a Mi-35 with the newer Mi-35M (prototype Mi-24VM). Along with many internal upgrades the basic visual differences between Mi-24/25 (another ‘export’ designation)/35 and a true Mi-35M are the landing gear, wings and chin-gun. The Mi-35M has fixed landing gear (apparently in an effort to reduce weight and keep production costs down), shorter span wings and a twin barreled 23mm chin-gun.

Kabul International Airport/Air Base. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sergeant Cecilio Ricardo, 02APR2007.

In December 2008, Czech Republic started deliveries of at least six refurbished Mi-24Vs (NATO Mi-35 Hind-E), along with several Mi-17s, to help build Afghanistan’s air power.

The push to build Afghan government controlled air power was seen as a way of reducing reliance on U.S./NATO forces, a way of avoiding getting stuck in a ‘Tar Baby’ the way the Soviets did in the 1980s.

U.S. Air Force photo by Technical Sergeant Edward Gyokeres, 27MAY2009.

Live fire at East River Range Complex near Bagram Air Base, May 2009.

June 2009 video of Czech technicians training Afghans for live fire exercise:

According to the exalted Wikipedia, it states the Czech Hinds were “purchased” by Afghanistan and training was done by technicians from India. Wrong! Here’s an official NATO report from July 2009:

USAF photo by Technical Sergeant Thomas Dow, 09SEP2009.

2009, U.S. Air Force video report explaining what the plan is for the Afghan Hinds:

USAF photo by Airman Brian Ybarbo, 15DEC2009.

USAF photo by Staff Sergeant Manuel J. Martinez, 11MAY2010.

USAF photo by Technical Sergeant Oshawn Jefferson, 15MAY2010.

Quick live fire video from June 2010:

USAF photo, 26JAN2011.

Photo by Vladimir Potapenko, 05MAR2011.

USA photo by Staff Sergeant Elvis Umanzor, 18SEP2013.

In 2014, it was revealed that the United States supplied Afghanistan with 30 Russian built new model Mi-17B-5 helicopters. But the affair with Russia ended over the shenanigans in Ukraine and Crimea. U.S. officials instead pushed for U.S. made helicopters to be given to Afghanistan.

In a 2015 New York Times article an Afghan colonel criticized the U.S. for forcing Afghanistan to accept MD 530F scout helicopters (at U.S. taxpayer expense). The colonel pointed out the MD 530Fs were easily shot down saying “This plane is a total mess”, and expressed a desire to get more Hinds.

In 2019, the arrogant U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) stated the Czech gifted “…Mi-35s were removed from the authorized fleet in 2015, but the Afghans continue to attempt to sustain them. DoD has advised them against doing so….”, and seemed perplexed at Afghan military leaders wanting a more reliable and survivable gunship like the Mi-24.

Sensing an opportunity to make points with the Afghan government, India gifted four refurbished Hinds (originally purchased from Belarus) between 2015 and the end of 2019. The Indian Hinds were denoted as Mi-25s and Mi-24Vs by the Indian news media and even Jane’s Defence Weekly, U.S. news sources refer to the Indian gifted Hinds as Mi-35s.

Moral of the story is; if you want to make Afghans happy just give them more Satan’s Chariots!

Update, 11AUG2021, Taliban capture Mil 24V (Mil 35):

#BREAKING: Taliban Captures Mi-24 attack helicopter which was gifted by India to Afghan Government in May 2019. This afternoon Taliban today captured Kunduz airport in Afghanistan. Video released by Taliban. pic.twitter.com/9YkMYmYrKD

— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) August 11, 2021

VEHICLE I-D: ZOMBIE TANK T-55, THEY’RE EVERYWHERE!

Technology

NASA’s Russian Tupolev 144 SST, more money spent on the U.S. airliner industry

Video April 26, 2020 Hutchins AAron

Before conversion to NASA’s ‘LL’ configuration. NASA photo, 1995.

17MAR1996 rollout of Tu-144LL at Zhukovsky Air Development Center near Moscow, Russia. A joint project between Russian Aeronautics Establishment, NASA, Boeing, McDonnell-Douglas, Rockwell, and others.

NASA photo, 17MAR1996.

LL stands for Letayuschaya Laboratoriya, which means Flying Laboratory. The intent was to develop a practical SST (Super Sonic Transport) for the 21st Century, to be built in the United States. The NASA led program was paid for by U.S. taxpayers and corporations. It was hoped that a market for SST aircraft would reveal itself in the 2020s.

NASA photo, July 1997, Zhukovsky Air Development Center near Moscow, Russia.

Zhukovsky Air Development Center near Moscow, Russia. NASA photo by Jim Ross, September 1998.

Test flights began in June 1996 and ended in April 1999.

NASA photo by Jim Ross, September 1998.

Tu-144LL had Kuznetsov NK-321 turbofan engines (same as those used on the Tu-160 strategic bombers) rated at more than 55,000 pounds of thrust in full afterburner.

NASA photo, 1996.

NASA’s computer room for data collection from Tu-144LL. The effects of flight on the real Tu-144LL was compared to data collected from models used in wind tunnels.

NASA photo by Jim Ross, September 1998.

This photo was taken in 1998, note that some of the names of the sponsoring companies have been removed from the fuselage.

NASA photo by Jim Ross, September 1998.

In 1998 two NASA pilots conducted three flights to test handling of the SST at subsonic and supersonic speeds.

NASA photo by Jim Ross, September 1998.

A 2014 NASA statement, updated in 2017, simply says the data collected will be used to build a future SST that can meet specific goals; strict noise and air-pollution standards, carry 300 passengers at least 5,000 miles at a cost per passenger of no more than 20% above subsonic airliners flying the same routes. However, a 2009 NASA report, also updated in 2017, states that “…an economically viable SST could not be envisioned near enough to further justify U.S. industry commitment.”

As far as what happened to the Tu-144LL, it was last seen rotting away at the Zhukovsky International Airport.

1:1 SCALE WIND TUNNEL MODELS?

VEHICLE I-D: NASA CANBERRAS, B-57B ‘HUSH KIT’ & WB-57F RIVET CHIP/SLICE

BARE METAL: NASA’S MD-11 EXPERIMENTAL

IDAHO, KANSAS, UTAH HOME BASES FOR NASA’S DC-8 FIREX-AQ!

NASA ‘CLIMATE SPY PLANE’ PROVES CALIFORNIA’S STRICT ANTI-POLLUTION LAWS ARE A JOKE!

SUPER GUPPY BE OLD, BUT NASA STILL USES IT!

VEHICLE I-D: ‘NEW’ F-16 VISTA

VEHICLE I-D: F-8 DFBW, OR ANOTHER REASON WHY TODAY’S TECHIE GENERATION OWES THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX!

SALVAGING F4U CORSAIRS

Technology

Vehicle I-D: Iraqi Armor, after the invasion

Video April 24, 2020 Hutchins AAron

On 13JUN2019, the Iraqi army unveiled a new tank; the al-Kafeel-1. Note that it uses an M2 .50 caliber machine gun in a remote controlled mount. Russian news sources say the tank is based on Iraq’s experience fighting Islamic extremists, and Iraq’s use of the M1A1M. It is strange that most ‘western’ news sources didn’t report about the Iraqi developed tank until more than a year after its unveiling. Speculative reports say it was developed with help from China.

Inside of BTR-80. 9th Iraqi Army Division Warrant Officer explains to U.S. troops how it works.
U.S. Army photo by Sergeant Mary S. Katzenberger, 27SEP2010.

Ukrainian made BTR-94, 2018.

Ukrainian made BTR-94 blocks 14th of July bridge in Baghdad, 15AUG2004. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Jacob N. Bailey.

Ukrainian made BTR-4, reports say Iraq was not happy with the BTR-4, claiming they were not ‘new builds’ and had corroded bodies (Ukrainian investigation links the defective BTR-4s to the now infamous corruption scandal plaguing the Office of the U.S. President).

BTR-4 variants, the BSEM-4K ambulance and BTR-4 armored personnel carriers with 30mm gun turrets.

‎U.S. Army photo by Sergeant Kalie Jones Frantz, 06FEB2016.

A mystery modified M113 seen at Camp Taji, February 2016. It’s not a ACV or YPR765. A homegrown modification?

U.S. Army photo by Sergeant Kalie Jones Frantz, 06FEB2016.

U.S. Army photo by Specialist William Lockwood, 11FEB2016.

Camp Taji, February 2016.

M113 ACAV, U.S. Army photo by Sergeant Kalie Jones Frantz, 07FEB2016.

M113, U.S. Army photo by Sergeant David Strayer, 28APR2011.

M113, Kirkush Military Training Base, April 2011.

Notice the use of wide ‘snow’ tracks. Texas Army National Guard photo by Specialist Maria Mengrone, 12MAY2005.

MTLB, May 2005.

Texas Army National Guard photo by Specialist Maria Mengrone, 06MAY2005.

This one has the standard width tracks. Texas Army National Guard photo by Specialist Maria Mengrone, 06MAY2005.

U.S. Army photo by Specialist Sean Hanson.

March 2007. This tank is a Chinese Type 69 (Iraqi designation for Chinese Type 69 is T-55B), as denoted by the headlights on both fenders and the camera/laser sighting system on the mantlet.

Texas Army National Guard photo by Specialist Maria Mengrone, 12MAY2005.

May 2005, Type 69/T-55B.

Notice the U.S. antenna. Texas Army National Guard photo by Specialist Maria Mengrone, 12MAY2005.

BMP-1, October 2005:

Rebuilt BMP-1s on Camp Taji, 07OCT2005.

BMP-1, January 2007:

BMP-1, Camp Taji. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sergeant Jon Cupp, 17JAN2007.

Video Camp Taji boneyard, T-72 turret lift, 2009:

T-62, March 2010:

T-62s in the ‘Bone Yard’. Tennessee Army National Guard photo by First Lieutenant Desiree Pavlick, 17MAR2010.

Graveyard of T-62 and T-72, October 2005:

Camp Taji ‘boneyard’, 10JUL2005.

T-72, Camp Butler/Butler Gunnery Range, February 2006:

U.S. Army photo by Staff Sergeant Brent Hunt, 16FEB2006.

Low quality video from February 2006, supposedly it was the first time Iraqis were able to fire their T-72s since the U.S. invasion:

T-72, Forward Operating Base Hammer, October 2008:

U.S. Army photo by Private First Class Evan Loyd, 31OCT2008.

2008 Besmaya Range gunnery video (by U.S. Army Specialist Neil A. Stanfield):

T-72, Besmaya Range Complex, April 2010:

U.S. Army photo by Private First Class Jared Eastman, 14APR2010.

Checking out a ‘newer’ T-72, apparently donated by NATO-Czech Republic, April 2016:

U.S. Army photo by Sergeant Paul Sale, 05APR2016.

Iraqis began training on U.S. M1A1 Abrams in 2008-09:

Besmaya Range Complex, 31MAR2009. U.S. Army photo by Captain Thomas Avilucea.

According to a U.S. Defense Department news release, between August 2010 and the end of 2011, 140 M1A1M Abrams tanks were delivered to Iraq as part of a 2008 military sales agreement.

According to the the U.S. Army, these were the last of the 140 Abrams delivered to Iraq:

U.S. Army photo by Staff Sergeant Edward Daileg, 29AUG2011.

In 2016, BMP-1s were positioned for the Mosul Offensive against so-called Islamic State:

U.S. Army photo, 18OCT2016.

In February 2018, it was revealed that an Iraqi militia unit funded by Iran acquired nine of the M1A1Ms.

Blurry image showing Iranian funded Iraqi militia hauling an M1A1.

In June 2018, Iraq announced it was trading the M1A1M for the Russian T-90S.

The first T-90S and T-90SK were delivered by November 2019.

M109A1, Firebase Saham, December 2018.

U.S. Army photo by Captain Jason Welch, 03DEC2018.

For some strange reason the official U.S. Army information that accompanied the pic states this is a “M109 Paladin”, but it is clearly not an M109A6 Paladin (which is a radical upgrade of the M109 series), it is a M109A1.

In 2008, U.S. Army officials decided to allow Iraq to refurbish several M109A1s abandoned in the ‘boneyard’ of Camp Taji: “Last fall, our brigade commander was given guidance by the 9th IA commander to pull out of the Taji boneyard roughly a battalion’s worth of M109A1 howitzers.”-Major Matthew DeLoia, Military Transition Team-Pennsylvania National Guard’s 109th Field Artillery Regiment, July 2009

VEHICLE I-D: UKRAINIAN ARMOR

VEHICLE I-D: GEORGIAN T-72 & BMP

International, Technology

NATO’s MiG-21

Video April 18, 2020 Hutchins AAron

During the Cold War it was known as Mikoyan & Gurevich, hence MiG.

MiG 21, NATO reporting name Fishbed/Lancer.

BULGARIA:

New Jersey Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Andrew J. Moseley, 16JUL2015.

New Jersey Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Andrew J. Moseley, 17JUL2015.

Apparently 2015 was the last year that Bulgaria operated the MiG-21.

CROATIA:

Minnesota Air National Guard Photo by Technical Sergeant Lynette Hoke, 05APR2019.

It is smaller than an F-16

Minnesota Air National Guard Photo by Technical Sergeant Lynette Hoke, 05APR2019.

Minnesota Air National Guard Photo by Technical Sergeant Lynette Hoke, 06APR2019.

Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Croatia video of MiG 21s flying with French Rafales, 15MAR2022:

Croat MiG 21s with USAF Aviano Air Base F-16s on the Pleso/Zagreb Airport, 27MAR2022. Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Croatia by T. Brandt.

Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Croatia, on 17MAY2022 a MiG 21 was assigned ‘Gate Guard’ duty for the 30th Anniversary of a flight by Colonel Ivica Ivandić. This is a controversy in Croatia because there were other MiG 21s involved in that flight and those pilots were seemingly ignored:

ROMANIA, ‘Lancer’:

2014

USAF photo by Staff Sergeant R.J. Biermann, 17APR2014.

2015

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Armando A. Schwier-Morales, 17MAR2015.

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Joe W. McFadden, 16APR2015.

U.S. Army photo by Sergeant William A. Tanner, 22MAY2015.

USAF photo by Staff Sergeant Matthew Bruch, 23OCT2015.

2016

18MAR2016, Canadian Forces photo by Master Seaman (Master Sailor) Steeve Picard.

2017

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Jonathan Snyder, 29JUL2017.

26SEP2017, Canadian Forces photo by Sergeant Daren Kraus.

2019

Romanian MiG 21s visited Serbia in October 2019. Photo via Ministry of Defence Republic of Serbia.

Ministry of Defence Republic of Serbia, 01OCT2019.

Ministry of Defence Republic of Serbia video, Romanian MiG 21s at the October 2019 International Air Exercise Air Solution meet:

28NOV2019. Canadian Forces photo by Leading Seaman (Sailor First Class) Erica Seymour.

NATO Channel video MiG-21 operations, cockpit view:

2022:

Romanian Ministry of National Defense video report from 04SEP2022, a pilot’s last flight in a MiG 21UB:

Ukraine Crisis: NATO forces Slovakia to suddenly retire its MiG 29s

More MiGs: HERITAGE SABER & MIG FIGHT IT OUT…OVER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA?

INDIAN AIR POWER

MiG-21 adversary F-4 Phantom Two: PHINAL UN-MANNED PHANTOM PHLIGHT

SOVIET ERA TANKS NOW IN USE BY NATO: BULGARIAN T-72

Technology

CH-47 Chinook collects Mil 8 ‘Hip’ bones

Video April 15, 2020 Hutchins AAron

U.S. Army photo by Sergeant Patrick Jubrey, 06AUG2019.

Surrounded, finders keepers! NATO reporting name for the Soviet era Mil 8 is Hip.

USA photo by Sergeant Patrick Jubrey, 06AUG2019.

CH-47 anticipating sling loading Mil 8, Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, August 2019.

Video explainer, CH-47 sling loads Hip bones in Germany, June 2019:

USA photo by Charles Rosemond, 12MAR2019.

Note that the tail boom, main rotors, landing gear and other loose ‘Hip’ bones are shoved into the fuselage. Storck Barracks, Illesheim, Germany, 12MAR2019.

USA photo by Charles Rosemond, 12MAR2019.

Video explainer, using Hip bones for sling load training in Germany:

Prepping a Mil 8 for use as a sling load trainer, Hohenfels, Germany, 12MAR2019.

USA photo by Charles Rosemond, 12MAR2019.

Video, CH-47 Chinook recovers junk Mil 8 in Afghanistan, November 2017:

USMC photo by Corporal Ursula V. Smith, 25SEP2019.

RECOVERING UH-1 SKELETONS

VEHICLE I-D: MIL 24 HIND ‘SATAN’S CHARIOTS’

Technology

Vehicle I-D: Russian/Ukrainian Aircraft in U.S. service?

Video April 12, 2020 Hutchins AAron

The Antonov Design Bureau (founded by Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov in 1946) was originally based in Russia, but officially moved to Ukraine in 1952.

June 2022, photo via Antonov Company.

In 2022, a Ukrainian Ruslan was used to transport NATO Turkey’s Turksat 5B from NATO France to NATO United States, for launch on the controversial SpaceX platform.

Photo via Antonov Company.

In June 2021, a Ukrainian An-124 Ruslan transported several Black Hawk helicopters from NATO Poland to The Philippines.

U.S. Army photo by Richard Bumgardner, 26APR2019.

Two UH-60 Black Hawks bound for Afghanistan about to be eaten by a Russian An-124 in Huntsville, Alabama, 26APR2019.

USA photo by Richard Bumgardner, 26APR2019.

U.S. Air Force video, by Staff Sergeant Bethany La Ville, November 2018 Super Typhoon Yutu relief in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (the Ukrainian operated An-124 was contracted by U.S. Air Force):

Video, October 2017, Russian operated An-124 delivers disaster relief equipment to Puerto Rico, paid for by U.S. taxpayers:

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Corporal Brooke Deiters, 01AUG2016.

U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Japan, August 2016.

USMC photo by Lance Corporal Brooke Deiters, 02AUG2016.

Russian operated An-124 takes-off from U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Japan, August 2016.

USA photo by Staff Sergeant Richard Andrade, 22OCT2013.

October 2013, Russian operated An-124 delivers U.S. taxpayer funded Russian made Mil-17V-5 Hip helicopter to the Afghan military, in Kabul.

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Corporal Kevin Jones, 09JUL2013.

A large U.S. Marine CH-53E Super Stallion inside the belly of the An-124 beast, July 2013.

USMC video, by Corporal Jeffrey Scarmazzi, 11JUL2013, U.S. Marines on Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, load UH-1Y Venoms into a contracted An-124:

USMC photo by Lance Corporal Natalie M. Rostran, 17JUN2013.

U.S. Marines CH-46E Sea Knight off-load at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Japan, June 2013.

USA photo by Sergeant D. Brennan, 07FEB2013.

February 2013, U.S. Army OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter is fed into the An-124 Condor at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan.

At least three OH-58Ds. USA photo by Sergeant D. Brennan, 07FEB2013.

U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Krystal Wright, 30JUN2012.

Russian operated An-124 gets an MRAP suppository at Shaw Air Force Base (AFB), South Carolina, June 2012.

USAF photo by Airman 1st Class Krystal Wright, 30JUN2012.

Now a satellite up-link suppository, all destined for U.S. Forces Korea.

USMC photo by Mitch Moore, 05OCT2011.

Joint Operating Base Bastion, Afghanistan, An-124 delivers mobile medical Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine, October 2011.

USAF photo by Sergeant Anderson J. Grant, 21MAY2011.

The U.S. Air Force even showed-off the Ruslan at a public air show on Shaw AFB, May 2011.

USAF photo by Captain Erick Saks, 06MAY2011.

May 2011, An-124 delivers Rough Terrain Container Handler (RTCH) to Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan.

Photo by Jerome Bishop, 01DEC2005.

Pope Air Force Base , North Carolina, December 2005. Russian contracted An-124 eats a UH-60 Black Hawk, for delivery to Egypt.

At least four UH-60s. Photo by Jerome Bishop, 01DEC2005.

Operation CoViD-19: Video of An-124 used for NATO CoViD supply operations in Slovakia

2016:

USMC photo by Corporal Nathan Wicks, 02AUG2016.

Russian An-124 DELIVERS KC-130J SIMULATOR TO U.S. MARINES IN JAPAN!

Technology

Vehicle I-D: Sukhoi 24

Video April 11, 2020 Hutchins AAron

U.S. Navy photo, 12APR2016.

Buzzing the USS Donald Cook (DDG 75), Baltic Sea, 12APR2016.

USN photo, 12APR2016.

Video, Su-24 “Over the bow!”:

USN photo, 12APR2016.

Video, Su-24 “on the deck!”:

USN photo, 12APR2016.

Video, Su-24 “across the flight deck”:

Russian Su-24s on Khmeimim Air Base, Latakia Governorate in Syria, 2017.

Video, ground ops, Latakia, Syria, 2016:

Video, point-of-view cams showing take-off, bomb dropping, and landing of Su-24 in Syria:

Video, USS Ross (DDG 71) gets buzzed, June 2015, Black Sea:

On 24NOV2015, a NATO Turkey F-16 shot down a Russian Su-24 over Syria.

Video, take-offs and landings, Latakia, Syria, 2015:

Video from 2015, Russian Su-24 dropping ‘dumb’ bombs on insurgents in Syria:

Video, aerial refueling 2015:

Video, afterburners lit, Syria:

Algerian Su-24.

Iranian Su-24

U.S. MARINES USE ‘FAKE NEWS’ MIG-23

VEHICLE I-D: MIL 24 HIND ‘SATAN’S CHARIOTS’

VEHICLE I-D: SUKHOI 27/30

Technology

Vehicle I-D: Mil 24 Hind ‘Satan’s Chariots’, Cold War and beyond

Video April 9, 2020 Hutchins AAron

Mil Mi-24/25/35, NATO reporting name Hind.

From a U.S. Army vehicle identification poster, September 1981.

Russian news media propaganda report on Mi-24P (30mm guns) and Ka-52 action in Ukraine, October 2022:

This is a Ukrainian Mi-24V, supposedly of those donated by NATO Czech Republic.

In August 2022, Russia revoked licensed Mil helicopter operations for NATO-Czech Republic and NATO-Bulgaria, after they donated Hinds to Ukraine.

In August 2022, Brazil flew its 12 Mi-35M4s for the last time, officially. Brazil calls its Hinds the AH-2 Saber. Brazil has been operating Saber-Hinds since at least 2011. Local news media reports say the high cost of maintaining them was exacerbated by recent U.S./NATO sanctions on Russia.

Video from June 2022, Russian ‘Z’ Hinds (Mi-35M, with 23mm guns in the chin-turret), somewhere over Ukraine:

In May 2022, NATO Czech republic claims to have given Ukraine some of their Mi-24Vs.

March 2022: Hinds with invasion stripes?

In December 2021, a video appeared claiming to show rebels in Yemen now have a usable Hind helicopter:

#مأرب
فيديو متدوال عن مشاركة طائرات هيلوكبتر عمودية تابعة لقوات صنعاء في معارك جنوب #مأرب. pic.twitter.com/XWMmogXOsT

— ساعة الصفر (@zero_hour2020) December 7, 2021

In August 2021, Taliban took control of donated Mi-35 helicopters, after the sudden withdrawal of U.S./NATO forces from Afghanistan. See more about the more than four decades long love affair the Afghans have for ‘Satan’s Chariot’ in ZOMBIE ‘COPTER: HOW THE HIND RETURNED TO AFGHANISTAN (with the help of NATO), AND WHY IT WON’T DIE.

U.S. Army photo by Major Robert Fellingham.

In June 2021, U.S. Army AH-64 Apaches and NATO-Bulgarian Hinds took part in a joint Apache-Hind wargame, supposedly for the first time.

In August 2020, Rostec State Corporation’s Russian Helicopters division announced it will begin mass-production of its new export Hind, the Mi-35P.

Belarussian Mi-24.

At the beginning of August 2020, Belarus claimed that NATO-Lithuania invaded its territory. The ‘invasion’ was stopped with the help of Belarusian Mi-24s.

Kazakhstan Mi-35M, June 2020.

In June 2020, Kazakhstan received four new-build Mi-35Ms. Kazakhstan now has 12 Mi-35Ms.

Kazakhstan Mi-35M, June 2020.

Libyan ‘Haftar’ Mi-35.

In April 2020, it was reported that an Mi-35, used by the ‘Haftar’ forces in Libya, was shot down, the crew was killed. It should be noted that the Haftar forces (aka Libyan National Forces) are supported by both Russia and NATO-France! The 2011 NATO instigated civil war in Libya never ended!

Ukrainian Mi-24P, with 30mm side mounted guns.

U.S. Air Force photo by Airman First Class Jacob T. Stephens, 20NOV2019.

Mil (Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant) 24 gunship flies over Ryan Airfield, Arizona, 20NOV2019.

USAF photo by Airman First Class Jacob T. Stephens, 20NOV2019.

The U.S. Air Force claims it is using the Mil 24 to teach basic helicopter maneuver training to SAR (Search And Rescue) HH-60G Pave Hawk crews.

USAF photo by Airman First Class Jacob T. Stephens, 18NOV2019.

Mil 24 parked next to HH-60G Pave Hawk, Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.

International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS-2019.

In August 2019, Russia announced it is upgrading its Mi-24Ps to Mi-24P1M standards.

International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS-2019.

The Mi-24P1M will have the latest electronics, including an anti-aircraft missile launch warning system. The ‘1M’ version will also be several hundred kilograms lighter in weight.

International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS-2019.

In the NATO ‘west’, export versions of Mil 24 are also known as Mil 25 or 35, depending on the accessories (or who is writing the report).

NATO photo, 15MAR2018.

Polish Mil 24 picks up NATO troops during Frozen Fury wargame, March 2018.

U.S. Army photo by Captain Gary Loten-Beckford, 30JAN2018.

Polish Mil 24s swarm a NATO battlefield, January 2018.

Russian Mi-24 flying over Roman era ruins in Syria, possibly 2017.

Russia flies Mi-24s in the NATO-instigated-civil-war-torn country of Syria.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist First Class Justin Stumberg, 14JUL2017.

Ukrainian Mil 24, over Kulbakino Air Base in Mykolaiv, during NATO/U.S. Sea Breeze wargame, July 2017.

U.S. Army video by Sergeant Timothy Pike, soldier’s view of Mi-24 Hind-D during NATO wargame on Hohenfels, Germany, March 2017:

U.S. Army photo by Sergeant Matthew Hulett, 24MAR2017.

Maintenance on Czech Mil 24 on Hohenfels, Germany, for Exercise Allied Spirit, March 2017.

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Corporal Zachary M. Ford, 11APR2016.

Mil 24 over Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, California, April 2016, in support of U.S. Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) during Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) training.

Video, Mil 24 Hinds in action, Syria, October 2015:

#RuAF Mi-24 Hind gunships providing CAS to #Syria regime troops #Sahl_al_Ghab #Latakia #RussianAirStrikes pic.twitter.com/mUfPnfmyia

— Independist-R2D2 (@Independist) October 12, 2015

Mi-24 Hind-D onboard Yuma Marine Corps Air Station, Arizona. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sergeant Artur Shvartsberg, 09OCT2015.

U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, October 2015.

USMC photo by Staff Sergeant Artur Shvartsberg, 09OCT2015.

NATO video from 2014, Afghans deploy their Mil 24 and Mil 17 (171):

The Mil 24 is called Hind by NATO, there is no official name in Russia but crews have used many nicknames for it. In Afghanistan it’s known as Satan’s Chariot. NATO video report from 2012:

U.S. Army Photo by Specialist Alan Moos, 21JAN2008.

NATO-Poland Mil 24 in Iraq, Camp Echo, January 2008.

USA photo by Specialist Alan Moos, 21JAN2008.

NATO-Poland’s old Hind-D over Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, January 2008.

Iraq, May 2006, USA photo.

NATO-Poland Mil 24 and U.S. Apache AH-64 working together, somewhere in Iraq, May 2006.

U.S. Air Force photo by Technical Sergeant Hill-Wales, 03JUL1996.

The above photo shows three Mi-24 Hind-Ds, of the newly independent Czech Republic (now known as Czechia), attending an air show in NATO-Italy, July 1996. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999.

The U.S. Army captured an almost intact Iraqi Hind-D, during Desert Storm, January 1991.

The U.S. Army first started flying the Mil 24 in the early 1990s, after French and Chadian forces seized an abandoned Libyan Mil 25 Hind-D in 1987. The helicopter was flown to the U.S. onboard a C-5 Galaxy in 1988.

The Hind-D was based at Fort Bliss, Texas. It was routinely deployed to Fork Polk, Louisiana, to play the part of the enemy, or Opposition Force (OpFor) in wargames.

This 1995 U.S. Army photo shows the Hind-D equipped with Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement Systems (MILES) ‘laser-tag’ wargame device on the chin-gun. It has Tasmanian Devil nose art.

From U.S. Army FM 44-80, Visual Aircraft Recognition, July 1993 edition.

Beginning in the early 1980s, the U.S. Army used Huey helicopters to represent Hinds!

U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency photo, released 27APR1989.

The above photo was made in July 1988, but was not released to the U.S. public until 27APR1989.

Photo released by U.S./NATO, March 1985.

Photo released by U.S./NATO, August 1982.

These Hinds had a four-barreled 12.7mm gun in a chin-turret.

Photo released by U.S./NATO, August 1982.

Mil Mi-24 Hind-A. Photo released by U.S./NATO, 01AUG1982.

Czech-o-Slovak Mi-24D, photo by Eduard Karkan, published in 1980.

TASS photo of Soviet Mi-24D, published in late 1970s.

The Hind-A had a single-barreled 12.7mm heavy machine gun in the nose.

The first production version of the Hind, sometimes called the Drinking Glass, Mi-24A Hind-A. Riga Airport Latvia Russian Aircraft Museum, in NATO-Latvia.

Prototype Mil V-24.

In 1968 the Soviet Union ordered a new helicopter, combining transport and gunship capabilities. By June 1970, what would become the Mil 24 was accepted for testing. The Mil 24A officially began service in 1972.

VEHICLE I-D: MD-530F CAYUSE WARRIOR, AFGHANISTAN

HOW TO USE C-4 & THERMITE TO KILL A ZOMBIE TANK

Technology

Vehicle I-D: Sukhoi 27/30

Video April 7, 2020 Hutchins AAron

Venezuelan Sukhoi 30 shadowing a U.S. Navy EP-3, July 2019.

Thermal camera video of Venezuelan Su-30:

Ukrainian Su-27/30, Starokostiantyniv Air Base during NATO wargame Clear Sky 2018.

F-15 Eagle taxis past Sukhoi 27s.

Video, Russian Su-27s sneak a look at U.S. Navy EP-3E, January 2018:

Su-30, the main difference between the Su-27UB and Su-30 is that the Su-30 is a fully combat capable multi-role aircraft, while the Su-27UB is a trainer.

Video, Russian Su-27 streaks past U.S. Navy EP-3E, January 2018:

The Su-30 is slightly longer and taller than the Su-27UB, and can also be equipped with canards and thrust vectoring afterburners.

Video, U.S. F-15s mingle with Russian Su-30s over the Baltic Sea, November-December 2017:

Su-27 v B-52H, Baltic Sea, June 2017.

Su-27 v B-1B, Baltic Sea, June 2017.

Su-27 v RC-135U, Baltic Sea, June 2017.

Video, Russian Knights 2016:

Indian Su-30MKI on Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, May 2016. Good size comparison with the much smaller F-16.

Malaysian Su-30MKM, Singapore International Airshow, 21FEB2016.

Russian Su-27 takes part in U.S. Vigilant Eagle-13, over Alaska, August 2013.

Su-27, Canadian F-18 (CF-18) and an Ilyushin 62 over Cold Lake, Canada, August 2013. The Il-62 played the role of hi-jacked airliner, while the Su-27s and CF-18s played escorts.

Malaysian Su-30 fly with F/A-18E, South China Sea, October 2012.

NATO Safe Skies 2011, in Ukraine.

Video, Ukraine SU-27/30 2011:

VEHICLE I-D: MIG-31 SPACE BOUND DOGFIGHTER?

International, Technology

Soviet era tanks now in use by NATO: Slovenian M84A4

Video April 7, 2020 Hutchins AAron

The M84 was a Cold War era Yugoslav development of the Soviet T-72, upgraded with ‘western’ style sighting system and wind sensor. The prominent wind sensor on the front-top of the turret is the giveaway identifier.

NATO video of M84 during wargame Combined Resolve, Hohenfels, Germany, September 2020:

Army National Guard photo by Sergeant Megan V. Zander, 29JAN2020.

Slovenian M84A4s in Hohenfels, Germany, January 2020. They were acting as Opposition Forces (OpFor) for NATO wargames Combined Resolve-13.

Army National Guard photo by Sergeant Megan V. Zander, 29JAN2020.

U.S. Army photo by Massimo Bovo.

Slovenian M84A4s during NATO wargames Adriatic Strike at Pocek Range in Postonja, June 2017.

USA photo by Graigg Faggionato.

U.S. Army video by Massimo Bovo, M84 live fire, June 2017:

USA photo by Graigg Faggionato.

Video report, U.S. Army explains why they like using former Warsaw Pact (Slovenia, being a part of Yugoslavia, was never part of Warsaw Pact), or other Soviet bloc countries, in wargames:

USA photo by Sergeant Alexandra Hulett.

Hohenfels, Germany, June 2016.

USA photo by Sergeant Alexandra Hulett.

Installing the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement Systems (MILES) for wargames. The MILES is essentially the world’s first laser-tag system, it is used on both people and vehicles.

USA photo by Sergeant Alexandra Hulett.

The bracket strapped to the gun tube is for the charges that simulate the gun firing. The amber light on the turret is the wound-damage/kill light, it flashes temporarily if you are ‘damaged-wounded’ and flashes constantly if you are ‘killed’.