Mil Mi-24
The Mil Mi-24 (Russian: Миль Ми-24; NATO reporting name: Hind) is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for eight passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and was introduced by the Soviet Air Force in 1972. The helicopter is currently in use by 58 countries.
| Mi-24 / Mi-25 / Mi-35 | |
|---|---|
| A Mi-24W of the Polish Land Forces | |
| Role | Attack helicopter with transport capabilities, helicopter gunship |
| National origin | Soviet Union/Russia |
| Manufacturer | Mil |
| First flight | 19 September 1969 |
| Introduction | 1972 |
| Status | In service |
| Primary users | Russian Aerospace Forces 58 other users (see Operators section below) |
| Produced | 1969–present |
| Number built | 2,648 |
| Developed from | Mil Mi-8 |
In NATO circles, the export versions, Mi-25 and Mi-35, are denoted with a letter suffix as "Hind D" and "Hind E". Soviet pilots called the Mi-24 the "flying tank" (Russian: летающий танк, romanized: letayushchiy tank), a term used historically with the famous World War II Soviet Il-2 Shturmovik armored ground attack aircraft. Other common unofficial nicknames were "Galina" (or "Galya"), "Crocodile" (Russian: Крокодил, romanized: Krokodil), due to the helicopter's camouflage scheme, and "Drinking Glass" (Russian: Стакан, romanized: Stakan), because of the flat glass plates that surround earlier Mi-24 variants' cockpits.