Amazing Helicopter: Mi-24 "Eagle" Helicopter in Afghanistan

Jim.Dodd.com ^ | December 9, 2002 | Jim Dodd

[Matthew James]

Great initiative! (Surprised the brass let 'em do it)

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I suppose this is merely the logical extension of painting shark's teeth on P-38s.

Did you mean P-40? As in the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk?

I love the P-38 Lightning. I'd love to see one with shark's teeth on it.

[Redcloak]

Thanks to an injection of US technology, the Hinds got the crap kicked out of them in Afghanistan. See that exhaust vent just forward of the main rotor? That's the point that Stingers homed in on. The airframe cracks like an egg when the thing gets hit there. The engine and rotors go flying back and the cockpit goes the other way; usually pivotting down so that the crew gets a great view of the ground coming up at them.

[Travis McGee]

It sure ain't your old Soviet Army, that's for sure!

[OKSooner]

Cool paint job, though. I want one with a flame job on it like a '62 Chevy.

[NYTexan]

"Something isn't quite right here. Could this be a civilian version?"

From: Jim@Dodd.com

"The MI-24 was submitted to me by a person on active duty, just back from Afghanistan. I was "told" that this helicopter was left behind from the Russian/Afghanistan war. I'm not sure who painted it (Russians or Afghans),
but we now have control of it. We are not necessarily using it in a military fashion. I think if it more as a unique weapon of war, the kind you might find in a museum.

-Jim"

[spoiler2]

OOps, right! Got me.

Hey, great pics! MMMMM....I think I'll borrow your P-38 as wallpaper for a few days, if I may.

A much appreciated correction, Sam

[Travis McGee]

Yeah Baby! You can bet the artist that did the eagle could do some badass flames!

[Travis McGee]

Somewhere along the spook/tourist/military continuum. You can be those pilots can tell some stories!

[Travis McGee]

Good catach on background, you're right! That's Ukraine or Russia I'd bet.

[Badger1]

Cool picture of the P-38 Bloody Sam Roberts. It is one of the few surviving p-38's still flying. I had the pleasure of meeting the owner of that aircraft and putting fuel in it when I worked at an airport in California.

[Snidely Whiplash]

What was the chopper that got hit with the RPG round in the old 80s flick Red Dawn and limped away home? Wasn't that an Mi-24?

Well, they were supposed to be Hinds, but I believe they were just American (maybe French) helos cobbled up to look like the Mi-24.

As for the actual scene, it's very unlikely that any helo could survive a direct hit from an anti-tank round like the one allegedly launched by an RPG, let alone one right in the crew cabin.

Snidely

[OldCorps]

Man, i saw that photo and I started reaching for my batch of stingers...wait a minute, I'm not in the Army any more. i'll return to my dozing.

cool paint job though.

shooting down a commie Hind over Germany was something I always wanted to do.

[Bobby777]

Good catach on background, you're right! That's Ukraine or Russia I'd bet.

yeah, nearly every shot (I've seen) of Afghanistan, except for the airport or a couple airbases, have no decent buildings ... all the homes look like stone or some sort of adobe ...

[Gunrunner2]

Me too!

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I had the pleasure of meeting the owner of that aircraft

Outstanding. It's always very cool to be able to touch a piece of our history.

[NYTexan]

bttt

[MeekOneGOP]

back atcha.....