Mi-24 Hind

The Mil Mi-24, known to NATO by the reporting name Hind, is a large Soviet-designed helicopter gunship that uniquely combines the firepower of a dedicated attack helicopter with a troop compartment able to carry up to eight soldiers, a dual role unlike most Western attack helicopters of its generation, which were built purely for gunship duties. Developed by the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, the Mi-24 entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1972 and went on to see extensive combat use by Soviet and other forces, most notably during the Soviet war in Afghanistan through the 1980s, where its heavy armament and armor made it a valued close-support platform against lightly armed insurgent forces. Decades after its introduction, the Mi-24 and its later export variants remain in active service with a large number of the world's air forces, with the type reported in use by fifty-two countries, a testament to its continued combat relevance long after the Cold War that produced it.