Mil Mi-24 early series comparison line drawing

The Soviet and later Russian

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 has been ...

helicopter has been produced in many variants, as described below.

History

In 1966, Soviet aircraft designer Mikhail Mil created a mock-up design of a new helicopter (derived from the

Mil Mi-8 The Mil Mi-8 (russian: Ми-8, NATO reporting name: Hip) is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s and introduced into the Soviet Air Force in 1968. It is now produced by Russia. In addition to ...

) which was made with the intent of fulfilling both the role of a close air support aircraft as well as being able to transport infantry into combat. This prototype design was designated the V-24, and in 1968 a directive was given to proceed with the development of the helicopter. The Mi-24 went from the drawing board to the first test-flights in less than eighteen months, with the first models being delivered to the

Soviet Armed Forces The Soviet Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union and as the Red Army (, Вооружённые Силы Советского Союза), were the armed forces of the Russian SFSR (1917–1922), the Soviet Union (1922–1991), and t ...

for evaluation in 1971. As a result of the speedy development, the initial Mi-24 variants had a number of problems: lateral roll, weapon sighting issues, and a limited field of view for the pilot. A later redesign of the Mi-24's front section solved most of these problems.

List of variants

;A-10: Designation given to the aircraft used for record breaking from 1975 in the FAI E1 class. ;V-24: The first version, twelve prototypes and development aircraft. The first V-24 mockup resembled the Bell UH-1A Huey. Later models resembled the future Hind-A, one of which was modified in 1975 as ''A-10'' for speed record attempts with wings removed and faired over and with inertia-type dampers on the main rotor head. The A-10 reached a speed of 368 km/h. It was armed with the

GSh-23 The Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23 ( rus, ГШ-23) is a twin-barreled 23 mm autocannon developed in the Soviet Union, primarily for military aircraft use. It entered service in 1965, replacing the earlier Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 and Rikhter R-23. ...

autocannon and could carry up to six missiles or rockets. ;Mi-24: (Hind-A) An early version of the Mi-24, which could carry eight combat troops and three crew members. It could also carry four 57mm rocket pods on four underwing pylons, four MCLOS 9M17 Fleyta (AT-2 Swatter) anti-tank missiles on two underwing rails, free-fall bombs, plus one

Afanasev A-12.7 The Afanasev A-12.7 is a heavy machine gun developed by Nikolay M. Afanasev in 1949 and adopted for service in 1953. This gun was supposed to have a considerably higher rate of fire than its predecessor, the Berezin UB aircraft machine gun. Due t ...

12.7mm machine-gun in the nose. The Mi-24A was the first production model. ;Mi-24B: (Hind-A) Experimental variant of the Hind-A, one of which was used to test the

Fenestron A Fenestron (sometimes alternatively referred to as a fantail or a "fan-in-fin" arrangementLeishman 2006, p. 321.) is an enclosed helicopter tail rotor that operates like a ducted fan. The term ''Fenestron'' is a trademark of multinational heli ...

tail rotor. ;Mi-24F: (Hind-A) Modified ''Hind-A'' with seven reinforcing ribs on the port

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...

aft of the wing and the SRO-2M Khrom ("Odd Rods") IFF

antenna Antenna ( antennas or antennae) may refer to: Science and engineering * Antenna (radio), also known as an aerial, a transducer designed to transmit or receive electromagnetic (e.g., TV or radio) waves * Antennae Galaxies, the name of two collid ...

relocated from the canopy to the oil cooler. The APU exhaust was also extended and angled downwards. The designation may be unofficial. ;Mi-24A: (Hind-B) The Mi-24A was the second production model. Both the Mi-24 and Mi-24A entered into

Soviet Air Forces The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...

service in 1972. It lacked the four-barrel

Yak-B 12.7mm machine gun The Yakushev-Borzov YakB-12.7 mm is a remotely controlled 12.7×108mm caliber four-barrel rotary cannon developed by the Soviet Union in 1973 for the Mil Mi-24 attack gunship and low-capacity troop transporter, with 1470 rounds, which can al ...

under the nose. ;Mi-24U: (Hind-C) Training version without nose gun and wingtip stations. ;Mi-24BMT: Small number of Mi-24s converted into minesweepers. ;Mi-24D: (Hind-D) The Mi-24D was designed to be a more pure gunship than the earlier variants. It entered production in 1973. The Mi-24D has a redesigned forward fuselage, with two separate cockpits for the pilot and gunner. It is armed with a single 12.7mm four-barrel Yak-B machine-gun under the nose. It can also carry four 57mm rocket pods, four SACLOS 9M17 Phalanga anti-tank missiles (a significant enhancement compared to the MCLOS system found on the Mi-24A), plus bombs and other weapons. One Mi-24D was sold to Poland in January 1996 and was used by the WTD 61 in Manching during 1994 for tests with the head of a

MIM-23 Hawk The Raytheon MIM-23 HAWK ("Homing all the way killer") is an American medium-range surface-to-air missile. It was designed to be a much more mobile counterpart to the MIM-14 Nike Hercules, trading off range and altitude capability for a much ...

missile in place of the chin-mounted gun. This version also had an unidentified modification in the rear cabin window on the starboard side. ;Mi-24PTRK: Modification of the Mi-24D that was used for testing the Shturm V missile system for the Mi-24V. ;Mi-24DU: A small number of Mi-24Ds were built as training helicopters with doubled controls. ;Mi-24V: (Hind-E) Later development which entered production in 1976. It was armed with the more advanced 9M114 Shturm (AT-6 Spiral). Eight of these missiles are mounted on four outer wing pylons. It was the most widely produced version with more than 1,500 made. In Polish service this aircraft is designated ''Mi-24W''. One ''Mi-24V'' was referred to as ''Mi-24T'' for unknown reasons. ;Arsenal Mi-24V upgrade: Ukrainian upgrade for Mi-24V. ;Mi-24P: (Hind-F) The gunship version, which replaced the 12.7mm machine-gun with a fixed side-mounted 30mm GSh-30-2K twin-barrel

autocannon An autocannon, automatic cannon or machine cannon is a fully automatic gun that is capable of rapid-firing large-caliber ( or more) armour-piercing, explosive or incendiary shells, as opposed to the smaller-caliber kinetic projectiles (bul ...

. ;Mi-24TECh-24: Experimental Mi-24P to test abilities for recovery of downed aircraft. ;Mi-24VP: (Hind-E Mod) Development of Mi-24V made in 1985 which replaced the machine-gun with

in a movable turret. Entered service in 1989, but only 25 were made before production ended the same year. One Mi-24VP flew with the Delta-H tail rotor of the

Mil Mi-28 The Mil Mi-28 ( NATO reporting name "Havoc") is a Russian all-weather, day-night, military tandem, two-seat anti-armor attack helicopter. It is an attack helicopter with no intended secondary transport capability, better optimized than the Mi ...

. ;Mi-24VU: (Hind-E) Indian training version of Mi-24V. ;Mi-24VD: A version produced in 1985 to test a rear defensive gun. ;Mi-24RKhR: (Hind-G1)

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

reconnaissance model, which is designed to collect radiation, biological and chemical samples. It was first seen during the 1986

Chernobyl disaster The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union. It is one of only two n ...

. Also known as the ''Mi-24R'', ''Mi-24RK'' and ''Mi-24RKh (Rch)''. ;Mi-24RA: (Hind-G1 Mod) New version of the ''Mi-24V''. ;Mi-24RR: Radiation reconnaissance model derived from the ''Mi-24R''. ;Mi-24K: (Hind-G2) Army reconnaissance, artillery observation helicopter. ;Mi-24M: Proposed naval version, unbuilt. ;Mi-24VM: Upgraded Mi-24V with updated avionics to improve night-time operation, new communications gear, shorter and lighter wings, and updated weapon systems to include support for the

9M120 Ataka The 9M120 ''Ataka'' (russian: Атака; ''Attack'') is an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) originating from the Soviet Union. The NATO reporting name of the 9M120 missile is the AT-9 ''Spiral-2''. It is the next major generation in the 9K114 Sh ...

Shturm 9K114 ''Shturm''
- Weaponsystems.net (russian: 9К114 «Штурм» - "Assault" ...

and

9K38 Igla The 9K38 Igla (russian: Игла́, "needle", NATO reporting name SA-18 Grouse) is a Russian/Soviet Union, Soviet MANPADS, man-portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. A simplified, earlier version is known as the 9K310 Igl ...

ATGM An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), anti-tank missile, anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily armored military vehicles. ATGMs range in size from shoulder ...

s and a 23mm main gun. Other internal changes have been made to increase the aircraft life-cycle and ease maintenance. ;Mi-24VN: (Hind-E) A night-attack version based on an ''Mi-24V'' in ''Mi-24VM'' Stage 1 configuration. ;Mi-24PM: Upgraded Mi-24P using same technologies as in Mi-24VM. Currently delivered to the RuAF. ;Mi-24PN: A version of the Mi-24P with a TV and a

FLIR Forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras, typically used on military and civilian aircraft, use a thermographic camera that senses infrared radiation. The sensors installed in forward-looking infrared cameras, as well as those of other thermal ...

camera located in a dome on the front of the aircraft, and is armed with the

. The Russian Air Force received 14 Mi-24PNs in 2004. ;Mi-24PS: Civil police or paramilitary version, equipped with a FLIR, searchlight, loudspeaker PA system and attachments for rappelling ropes. ;Mi-24V Ecological Survey Version: Environmental research modification developed by the Polyot Industrial Research Organisation. ;Mi-24 SuperHind Mk.II: Modern western avionics upgrade produced by South African company Advanced Technologies and Engineering (ATE). Prototypes converted from Mi-24R models, and one Mi-24P was used to test sighting system. ;Mi-24 SuperHind Mk.III: Extensive operational upgrade of the original Mi-24 including weapons, avionics and counter measures. ;Mi-24 SuperHind Mk.IV: Upgraded Mk. III version with Pall vortex engine air particle separator system over the engine intakes. ;Mi-24 SuperHind Mk.V: Newest version of the "SuperHind" with fully redesigned front fuselage and cockpit. Mock-up only. ;Mi-24 Afghanistan field modifications: Passenger compartment armour and exhaust suppressors were often removed. Extra rounds for the rocket pods to allow self-reloading near the battlefield and also heavy weapons for self-defense were often carried.. ;Tamam Mi-24 HMOSP: Israeli upgrade. ;Mi-24P-1M: Latest modernization of Mi-24P helicopters, fitted with a new modular direct infrared countermeasures system, autopilot, improved power supply unit and OPS-24N-1L navigation and targeting station. It has also an option for an

active electronically scanned array An active electronically scanned array (AESA) is a type of phased array antenna, which is a computer-controlled array antenna in which the beam of radio waves can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the an ...

(AESA) radar. First unveiled at 2019

MAKS MAKS or Maks may refer to: People * Maksim (Maks), a Slavic given name * Kees Maks (1876-1967) Dutch painter Places * Maks, a settlement in northern Poland Other uses * MAKS Air Show, an international airshow held near Moscow, Russia * MAKS (sp ...

International Aviation and Space Salon. ;Mi-25: The export version of the Mi-24D. Mil Mi-35M (51 yellow)

;Mi-35: (Monsoon) The export version of the Mi-24V. ;Mi-35M: Night attack version fitted with upgraded advanced

avionics Avionics (a blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the hundreds of systems that are fit ...

and sensor package, including night vision systems, GOES-342 electro-optical range finder/targeting system,

GLONASS GLONASS (russian: ГЛОНАСС, label=none, ; rus, links=no, Глобальная навигационная спутниковая система, r=Global'naya Navigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema, t=Global Navigation Satellite System) is ...

/ GPS navigation system, electronic multifunction displays, onboard computer, and jam-proof communications equipment. Also known as Mi-35M1. More than 60 are in service with the

Russian Air Force "Air March" , mascot = , anniversaries = 12 August , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = , decorations = , batt ...

and it has also been exported. By September 2018, all Russian Air Force's Mi-35Ms were equipped with Vitebsk onboard defense system. ;Mi-35MS: Flying Command Post variant of the Mi-35M. Operated by the Russian Federal Protective Service (FSO). ;Mi-35M2: Updated version of the Mi-35M for the

Venezuelan Army The Venezuelan Army, officially the National Army of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, Ejército Nacional de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is one of the six professional branches of the Armed Forces of Venezuela. Also known ...

. ;Mi-35M3: Export variant of the Mi-24VM. ;Mi-35M4:(AH-2 Sabre) Updated version of the Mi-35M with Israeli avionics for the

Brazilian Air Force "Wings that protect the country" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Hino dos Aviadores , mascot = , anniversaries = 22 May (anniver ...

. ;Mi-35P: The export version of the Mi-24P. ;Mi-35P:

Russian Helicopters JSC Russian Helicopters (russian: Вертолёты России ''Vertolyoty Rossii'') is a helicopter design and manufacturing company headquartered in Moscow, Russia. The company designs and manufactures civilian and military helicopters. The c ...

holding has developed a common standard for Mi-24 modernization designated as Mi-35P. The Mi-35P has received the OPS-24N-1L observation-sight system with a third generation long-wave matrix thermal imager, TV camera, and laser

rangefinder A rangefinder (also rangefinding telemeter, depending on the context) is a device used to measure distances to remote objects. Originally optical devices used in surveying, they soon found applications in other fields, such as photography an ...

. The upgraded

gunship A gunship is a military aircraft armed with heavy aircraft guns, primarily intended for attacking ground targets either as airstrike or as close air support. In modern usage the term "gunship" refers to fixed-wing aircraft having laterally-m ...

’s cockpit has the KNEI-24E-1 flight navigation system with multifunctional displays. The PKV-8-35 digital flight system increases the helicopter’s manoeuvrability and steadiness. The modernised gunship is also fitted with the updated PrVK-24-2 targeting system, which allows the use of 9M127-1 Ataka-VM anti-tank guided missiles and either

L370 Vitebsk L37 may refer to: * 60S ribosomal protein L37 * Grand Canyon Caverns Airport Grand Canyon Caverns Airport is a public-use airport located east of the central business district of Peach Springs, in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. ...

electronic countermeasure system or its export version President-S. The helicopter has also received a chin-mounted NPPU-23 turret with a twin-barrel GSh-23L

. Serial production has started as of August 2020 for an export customer. ;Mi-35U: Unarmed training version of the Mi-35. ;Mi-PSV: Experimental high-speed helicopter based on the Mi-24. PSV stands for ''Perspektivny skorostnoi vertolet'' (''Перспективный скоростной вертолёт'') – Prospective high speed helicopter). Single-seat streamlined

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the controls that e ...

, unarmed, fitted with experimental main rotors for research into high-speed flight, with a target of increasing the speed of the Mi-28N by 10% and the Mi-35M by 13%. A Mi-24LL PSV demonstrator flew at a level flight speed of "greater than ", higher than of the official record by

Lynx A lynx is a type of wild cat. Lynx may also refer to: Astronomy * Lynx (constellation) * Lynx (Chinese astronomy) * Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory Places Canada * Lynx, ...

in 1986.. The mockup was first shown at the 2015

International Aviation and Space Salon. In April 2017, the Mi-PSV made first flights equipped with large low mounted wings, mounted nearly at the level of its belly in front of the main landing gear. The normal smaller "Mi-24 wings" at the height of the cabin roof are removed. Image:Mil Mi-24A Hind.jpg, Mi-24A Image:Mi-24 Iraqi.jpg, Iraqi Mi-24D captured during the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

Image:Helicopter Cockpit Mil Mi-24D Hind.jpg, Mi-24D cockpit File:Mi-24V Soviet1.jpg, Mi-24V of the

Image:Mi-24 4.jpg, Mi-24W(V) of the

Polish Air Force The Polish Air Force ( pl, Siły Powietrzne, , Air Forces) is the aerial warfare branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as ''Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej'' (). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 16,425 mi ...

Image:Mil_Mi-24P.JPG, Mi-24P of the

East German Air Force The Air Forces of the National People's Army (german: Luftstreitkräfte der Nationalen Volksarmee; LSK) was the Air Force of East Germany. As with the , the , and the Border Troops, it was a military branch of the National People's Army (NVA). ...

File:Experimental MIL.jpg, Mi-PSV at MAKS 2015

References

External links

Aeronautics.ru Mi-24

''Mil V-24'' at Stingray's List of Rotorcraft

''Mil Mi-24'' at Stingray's List of Rotorcraft

Mi-24 SuperHind brochure
{{Mil aircraft Military helicopters 1960s Soviet attack aircraft