MI-24 Hind
"Oy, Soap! Take this RPG and shoot at Hind!!!"
Called the Krokodil (Crocodile) by its crews, the Mi-24V Hind is an unusual aircraft in that it combines the roles of transport and attack helicopter, which has never been fully replicated before or since (except in sci-fi). Thus the Mi-24 is more like a flying Infantry Fighting Vehicle than an attack helicopter (More like Infantry FLYING Vehicle AMIRIGHT!?!)
The Hind is also as armoured as a friggin' tank. Anything smaller than a 23mm round will have a hard time even scratching the paint on this thing. That said, it was also as graceful as a tank, thanks to its bulky profile. So while it was pretty durable for a chopper, it wasn't exactly that hard to pelt the damn thing to death, if you had the armaments to bring it down.
In Team Yankee
Just like in real life the Hind is an interesting beast. While it is not quite as safe during anti-armour operations as the US Cobra, the Hind has a more penetrating shot. Mounting the AT-6 Spiral missile, the Hind can abuse NATO armour with an AT 23, FP 3+ missile that can strike targets up to 20" away. The AT-6 is also Guided and HEAT so don't worry about the penalties of using it at range.
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As for the infantry that just crawled out of their smouldering transport (or an Attack Chopper wanting to dogfight like it's 1915 or something) the Hind has the 12.7mm Yak-B Gatling Gun. A ROF 3, AT 5 Machine gun that stands a chance of wiping out dug in infantry with its 5+ FirePower or more likely; enemy vehicles such as M109s which can be mass-bailed.
Also, if the Capitalists start to mimic you and use human wave tactics, once per game your Hinds can let loose a massive salvo template with the UB-32 Rocket launcher. Though it only has a FP of 6, these rockets will still royally screw infantry in the open, so don't be afraid to use it when you get the opportunity.
In addition, the copious amount of firepower the Hind can carry 2 infantry teams in its belly. While it might not seem like much, these sons of the motherland can surprise unsuspecting NATO players given how mobile they are. You can easily set up ambushes and sneakily secure objectives from under their capitalist noses. However, your helicopter must start its turn on the ground for the onboard infantry to jump out, meaning that you must land the previous turn, then endure at least one turn of enemy shooting (if you land in the open) before you can drop off your Gopniks. So really think hard before you try to take out opposing artillery and take a 155mm Direct Fire Shell to the face. It is worth noting that these kinds of landings are much easier to do if your battle is being fought at night, as long as you land more than 24inches from enemy AA.
You can Field Hinds as part of your Soviet or East German armies at 5 points (6 For the East Germans) per pair of choppers, from a minimum of 2 Hinds to a max of 6 (Max of four for the East Germans).
Typically, these gunships would be used to neutralize the last of the enemy's anti-air net in combination with Frogfoots to establish aerial superiority, as the rules of Team Yankee forbid the gentlemen pilots of NATO and PACT from engaging one another. With a brutally tough but short ranged ATGM combined with their mobility (which you would probably do each turn, without any benefits for being stationary), the Hind excels in an environment clear of any missile anti-air units. With a passenger capacity slightly smaller than a metal box, the ability to grab an objective at the final turn can be a game changer. Compared to NATO helicopters, the Hind has a highly different role: terror weapons to be used in strafing runs with the protection to shrug off bullets rather than sensibly cowardly hiding behind forests, plinking away with missiles.
As of the new Soviet book, the Hind will be able to upgrade to the AT-9 missile, giving it an additional 4” range, and an AT of 24. It only costs 1 points per 2 helis, and the upgrade will enable these flying tanks to stay out of range of .50 cal machine guns, as well as some autocannons. The additional punch is also appreciated to keep the new heavy tanks on their toes to a greater degree, or not worry about having to flank older models: AT 24 will make anything with armour 19 and less melt very reliably.
IRL
The Mil Mi-24 (Mi-35 for export models) saw its first flight in 1969, was introduced in 1972 with the Soviet Air Force. In the decades since, it has emerged as the helicopter of gunship of choice for just about anybody that doesn't like the Americans and/or NATO. Built around a completely different philosophy than Western attack helicopters, the Mi-24 is a flying tank. NATO's gunships are designed to avoid enemy fire at all costs. The Mi-24 is designed to not care. It was intended to play a central role in assaulting Western Europe if the order came, and the Soviet Union, East Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia all maintained a large fleet of them. A mean SOB of a helicopter, the Mi-24 can load so much ordnance onto its stubby wings and into the nose-mounted cannon that it loses the ability to take off vertically. A Mi-24/Mi-35 under maximum takeoff load has to taxi down some manner of runway to get started, like a plane, before it can get into the air. The Mi-24's unique blend of tough-as-nails-gunship and infantry transport has never been replicated before or since. Like many other Soviet weapons, the "Hind" has far outlived the demise of its original designers and operators (the Warsaw Pact) and will likely be present in fighting around the world for a long time to come.
Instead of taking on NATO in a dramatic battle to control Europe, the "Hind" got its combat debut when the Soviet Union barged into Afghanistan to introduce shared possessions and Party meetings for everyone. The Mujahideen could handle jet fighters and bombers- those would only be around for a short time before they had to turn around and go back to rearm and refuel- but this beast could stick around essentially forever, dishing out fire and death. As a result, the rebels nicknamed it "Shaitan-Arba"; "Satan's Chariot" and did their best to kill it with American-made Stinger surface-to-air missiles. This did not work as well as they would have liked, indeed, a Hind once ate a direct SAM hit on video, and the Mujahideen learned to move around at night to avoid finding out for themselves whether or not Satan really has one of these.
Soviet pilots would often leave the infantry behind during missions for a variety of reasons. One was that when they were forced to pull some pretty extreme maneuvers to avoid the Stinger missiles supplied to the Muhajadeen by the good ol’ US of A, anyone in the troop cabin tended to scream and tumble about, which was very distracting. Carrying soldiers around really weighed the Mi-24 down in any event, as did the armor fitted to the troop compartment. The preferred setup came to be to remove the troop compartment armor, fly the Mi-24 only as a gunship, and have dedicated transport helicopters like the Mil Mi-8 bring infantry in and out while "Hind" gunships covered them.
A great many countries, especially former Soviet allies and Warsaw Pact member states, maintain Mi-24/Mi-35 gunships in their arsenal and the "Hind" has proved adaptable to numerous variants and roles. It is, however, gradually showing its age. Eventually, a large number of Hinds will be replaced by the Mil Mi-28 Havoc and Kamov Ka-50 (the former for the army, latter for special forces), both of which are gunships with no infantry transport capacity. As effective as the "Hind" has been in many roles, the infantry transport/gunship concept has not caught on in East or West and the Hind will likely be the first and last of its kind.
As stated above, the Hind D is more-or-less a flying tank (or IFV, to be more precise), making it mostly immune to small-arms fire and capable of dishing out as much punishment as one as well. However, the size and weight were also one of its glaring weaknesses; it was about as graceful as a tank while in the air. Its large' profile and heavy armour made it less agile in the sky, compared to other choppers of its class (The Hind was roughly 50% heavier than your average utility chopper and almost as heavy as a gunship,).
The most famous version is the Hind-D, featuring the iconic double-bubble cockpit. The earlier Hind-24A (as seen in the classic film "Red Dawn") featured a more conventional flat windows cockpit but it was replaced with the double-bubbles due to poor visibility. Battlefront's model and in-game stats represent the Mi-24 Hind V and not the D, an updated version which featured the deadly Shturm/At-6 missile which was capable of punching through all main battle tanks in existence during its years of service. Later models like the P and the VP would swap out the 12.7mm Gatling gun for a 30mm autocannon. Export Mi-24Vs went under various names in different forces, like the Czech Mi-35 the Polish Mi-24Ws.
The LAAT/i Gunship operated by the Galactic Republic in the Clone Wars, part of the legendary "Star Wars" franchise, bears a striking resemblance to the Hind, both in looks and in role. Two "bubble" cockpits, infantry transport bay, combination of the roles of gunship and infantry carrier all link the two machines. Though the LAAT/i is undoubtedly the one with the greatest resemblance to the Hind, gunships doubling as infantry transports are quite common in sci-fi.
| Soviet Forces in Team Yankee | |
|---|---|
| Tanks: | T55AM2 - T-62M - T-64 - T-72 - T-80 - T-72B - T-64BV |
| Transports: | BTR-60 - BMP-1 - BMP-2 - BMP-3 -BMD-1 - BMD-2 - BTR-D |
| Troops: | Motor Rifle Company - Hind Assault Landing Company - Afghansty Air Assault Company - BMP Shock Motor Rifle Company - BMD Air Assault Company - Afghansty BMD Air Assault Platoon |
| Artillery: | 2S1 Carnation - 2S3 Acacia - BM-21 Hail - TOS-1 Buratino - BM-27 Uragan - 2S9 Nona - BM-37 82mm mortar platoon |
| Anti-Aircraft: | ZSU 23-4 Shilka - SA-13 Gopher - SA-9 Gaskin - SA-8 Gecko - 2S6 Tunguska - BTR-ZD |
| Tank Hunters: | Spandrel - Storm - BTR-RD - ASU-85 |
| Recon: | BMP-1 OP - BRDM-2 |
| Aircraft: | SU-22 Fitter - SU-25 Frogfoot - MI-24 Hind |
| East German Forces in Team Yankee | |
|---|---|
| Tanks: | T-55 - T55AM2 - T-72M - T-72B |
| Transports: | BTR-60 - BMP-1 - BMP-2 |
| Troops: | Mot-Schützen Kompanie - Hind Assault Landing Company |
| Artillery: | 2S1 Carnation - BM-21 Hail - RM-70 - 2S3 Acacia |
| Anti-Aircraft: | ZSU 23-4 Shilka - SA-13 Gopher - SA9 Gaskin - SA-8 Gecko |
| Tank Hunters: | Spandrel |
| Recon: | BMP-1 OP - BRDM-2 |
| Aircraft: | MI-24 Hind - SU-22 Fitter |
| Soviet Support: | SU-25 Frogfoot |
| Polish Forces in Team Yankee | |
|---|---|
| Tanks: | T-55 - T55AM2 - T-72M - T-72B |
| Transports: | SKOT-2A - BMP-1 - BMP-2 |
| Troops: | Zmotory Kompania - Hind Assault Landing Company |
| Artillery: | Dana SpGH - BM-21 Hail |
| Anti-Aircraft: | ZSU 23-4 Shilka - SA-13 Gopher -SA-8 Gecko |
| Tank Hunters: | Spandrel |
| Recon: | BMP-1 OP - BRDM-2 |
| Aircraft: | MI-24 Hind - SU-22 Fitter |
| Soviet Support: | SU-25 Frogfoot |
| Czech Forces in Team Yankee | |
|---|---|
| Tanks: | T-55 - T55AM2 - T-72M - T-72B |
| Transports: | OT-64 - BMP-1 - BMP-2 |
| Troops: | Motostrelci |
| Artillery: | 2S1 Carnation - Dana SpGH - RM-70 |
| Anti-Aircraft: | ZSU 23-4 Shilka - SA-8 Gecko - SA9 Gaskin - SA-13 Gopher - M53/59 Praga |
| Tank Hunters: | Spandrel |
| Recon: | BMP-1 OP - BRDM-2 |
| Aircraft: | MI-24 Hind - SU-25 Frogfoot - SU-22 Fitter |
| Iraqi Forces in Team Yankee | |
|---|---|
| Tanks: | T-55 - T-62 - T-72M |
| Transports: | BTR-60 - OT-64 - AMX-10P - BMP-1 |
| Troops: | Motor Rifle Company |
| Artillery: | 2S1 Carnation - 2S3 Acacia - AMX Auf1 - BM-21 Hail |
| Anti-Aircraft: | ZSU 23-4 Shilka - SA-13 Gopher - SA9 Gaskin - SA-8 Gecko - Roland AA |
| Tank Hunters: | Spandrel - VCR/TH |
| Recon: | BRDM-2 - BTR-60 OP |
| Aircraft: | MI-24 Hind - Gazelle HOT |
| US Support: | A-10 Warthog - AV-8 Harrier |
Monster Hunter International
Monster Hunter International (the organization) bought a MI-24 Hind after the fall of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately the US Government will not let them fly it in the United States without stripping off most of its armament since it would frighten civilians (though MHI keeps it around and sometimes reinstalls it for ops where secrecy is already blown) so they've replaced all the weapons with fuel and cargo pods, reducing its armarment it to a door machine gun and whatever small arms are carried by the hunters on board, and painted it to look like a medical helicopter. Even though it's well over half a century out of date by the first book and was never considered maneuverable when it was new, it has the advantage of an Orc pilot named Skippy who can make it do things even a modern helicopter shouldn't be able to do. If you're working for MHI and sent on an important mission, it may be used to transport/support you. Just don't damage it, or Skippy will kill you for harming his baby.
A question is raised: Why not get some weapons that are attachable and detachable as neccessary? Carry a AN/M3 HMG pod inside, land it when confirmed target, and hop back up after reattachment. Cargo pods are just disguised rocket weapon points.