Mi-24 is the first Wuzhi model in the Soviet Union. Since its introduction in the 1970s, it has been known for its heavy firepower. Six external pylons are installed on the short wing and under the short slab of the fuselage, with a maximum load of 2.8 tons. It can carry 9M17M "fly swatter" anti-tank missile, AA-8 "aphids", AA-11 "shooter" air-to-air pair Air missiles, etc., in addition to carrying UB/V-16, UB/V-32 or S-5 57mm rocket launch nests, each rocket nest can hold 32 S-24 rockets. Under the nose of the Mi-24, there is also a 12.7 mm four-barreled "Gatling" machine gun with all-round shooting capabilities. Due to the powerful ammunition mounting capability, the Mi-24 is also known as the flying "air tank". In addition to the powerful firepower, the initial protection level of the Mi-24 is also good. Its titanium alloy rotor blades can withstand the attack of 12.7 mm bullets. The fuselage adopts an all-metal semi-monocoque nacelle tail beam structure. The crew compartment adopts a bullet-proof windshield and a pilot seat with strong armor protection. Resist the attack of 12.7mm bullets. It stands to reason that the Mi-24 with such a strong protection capability has a low probability of being shot down on the battlefield. So why did the ground air defense firepower of Azerbaijan easily knock down the Mi-24?
In fact, the protective performance of the Mi-24 was indeed very strong at the time, but with the development of air defense missile technology, especially the proliferation of shoulder-mounted ground air defense missiles, it posed a great threat to aerial helicopters. Although the Soviets later noticed this problem and installed an electronic countermeasure system for the Mi-24, this did not change much. According to statistics from Western countries, more than 300 Mi-24s have been on the battlefield during the entire service life.
After entering the 21st century, the Mi-24 exposed more and more defects, but the Mi-24 is still the main force of the Russian Army aviation. This is because in addition to the fierce firepower, the Mi-24 also has a powerful troop transport capability. It has a troop transport bay that can carry 8 infantrymen, and there are 8 foldable seats in the aircraft, which have certain troop projection capabilities. Thanks to the two powerful TB3-117 turboshaft engines, the Mi-24 can fly at a speed of 335 kilometers per hour, with a maximum range of 1,000 kilometers and a combat radius of 288 kilometers. For the Russian army on the battlefield in the Middle East, the Mi-24 is an indispensable weapon at the moment.
editor: 嘤仔
