Watch This Russian Mi-35 Hind Do What No Other Attack Helicopter Can

Updated Jul 5, 2020 7:09 PM EDT

During large-scale exercises in Russia’s southern military district, some of the country’s most advanced versions of the iconic Hind attack helicopter showed off their true multi-role capabilities—which includes going from close air support platform to troop transport seamlessly.

The video below shows a Mi-35M , which is upgraded in almost every way compared to earlier Hind variants, including a modern “glass” cockpit with night vision goggle compatibility. This, along with upgraded sensors, makes the Mi-35M especially well suited for nighttime operations. Upgraded engines, rotors and transmissions also give the helicopter increased performance in nearly every category and especially in “hot and high” environments.

Like pretty much all Hinds, the Mi-35 retains its small passenger compartment , which is capable of lugging around up to eight fully equipped troops, or four stretchers. This allows the Hind to deliver small units to forward areas on the battlefield, and to immediately provide overwatch and close air support for those troops once they have disembarked. The helicopter can also exfiltrate those troops back out of the combat zone or work as a medevac platform in a pinch. Even quickly transporting supplies, such as small arms ammunition, to the front is within the Hind’s repertoire.

Having a cabin is really an awesome and unique capability for an attack helicopter, especially in an age when such a premium is put on utilizing small special operations teams to achieve large effects on the battlefield.

Check out the hind’s transport capabilities in action:

The Mi-35’s human transport capability has even been extrapolated into what has to be the most exotic VIP transport helicopter in the world— the Mi-35MS . This shadowy and de-armed Hind derivative is thought to work as a continuity of government aircraft of sorts, whisking top MoD and Kremlin leaders from their high-profile Moscow strongholds off to hardened bunkers while still allowing them to maintain connectivity with their forces during a national emergency. During less dire times, the small Mi-35MS fleet likely works as a military VIP taxi, used by Defense Minister Shoigu and other top military officials. Putin still prefers his far roomier Mi-8MTVs.

The special mission helicopter is outfitted with a defensive countermeasures suite, radar, and an elaborate communications system, which includes a Raduga-MB satellite communications installation.

Mi-35MS seen over Moscow. , Chortos/wikicommons

The closest thing the US has to a gunship with some transport capability is a concept that leverages a transport helicopter design and adapts it into a gunship, and not the other way around. The 160th Special Operations Air Regiment (SOAR), better known as the Night Stalkers , have a small fleet of highly customized MH-60 Direct Action Penetrator (DAP) gunships that have been adapted from the stock H-60L Black Hawk design. But the cabin is usually stuffed with ammunition magazines and a large external fuel tank, so it is uncertain if it could lug even a small team of troops into combat, but it is unlikely. Usually a standard special operations modified MH-60 would just carry the force alongside the DAP.

Maybe the USMC’s UH-1Y Venom could be compared to the Mi-35, but once again, it is a utility helicopter that has evolved into a transport-gunship over time.

Regardless of its potential analogues, the Mi-24 family still offers a ton of functionality nearly 50 years after it first flew—a testament to the ingenuity of the design team at Mil that made the still-feared attack chopper a reality.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

Comments couldn’t be loaded. Please refresh the page.

更新于美国东部时间2020年7月5日晚上7:09

在俄罗斯南部军区举行的大规模演习中，该国一些最先进的标志性“雌鹿”攻击直升机展示了其真正的多用途能力——包括从近距离空中支援平台无缝过渡到部队运输。

下面的视频展示了一架米-35M，与之前的米-35“雌鹿”系列直升机相比，它几乎在所有方面都进行了升级，包括配备了可兼容夜视镜的现代化“玻璃座舱”。这些升级，加上传感器的改进，使得米-35M尤其适合夜间作战。升级后的发动机、旋翼和传动系统也提升了该直升机在几乎所有方面的性能，尤其是在高温高海拔环境下。

与几乎所有米-24“雌鹿”直升机一样，米-35保留了其小型客舱，可搭载多达八名全副武装的士兵或四副担架。这使得“雌鹿”能够将小规模部队运送到战场前沿区域，并在部队下机后立即提供空中掩护和近距离空中支援。该直升机还可以将这些部队撤离战区，或在紧急情况下用作医疗后送平台。甚至快速向前线运送物资，例如小型武器弹药，也在“雌鹿”的作战能力范围之内。

对于攻击直升机来说，拥有机舱确实是一项非常棒且独特的能力，尤其是在当今时代，人们如此重视利用小型特种作战小组在战场上取得巨大成效。

来看看雌鹿的运输能力是如何发挥作用的：

米-35的人员运输能力甚至被延伸到了一种堪称世界上最奇特的VIP运输直升机——米-35MS。这款神秘且未配备武器的米-35衍生机型被认为可以作为某种政府专机，在国家紧急情况下，将国防部和克里姆林宫的高级领导人从他们位于莫斯科的据点运送到坚固的掩体，同时还能让他们与部队保持联系。在不那么紧急的情况下，这支规模较小的米-35MS机队很可能被用作军方VIP专机，供国防部长绍伊古和其他高级军事官员使用。不过，普京仍然更喜欢他那空间宽敞得多的米-8MTV。

这架特种任务直升机配备了防御对抗装置、雷达和复杂的通信系统，其中包括 Raduga-MB 卫星通信装置。

莫斯科上空拍摄到的米-35MS直升机。图片来自Chortos/wikicommons。

美国最接近具备运输能力的武装直升机的概念，是利用运输直升机的设计并将其改装成武装直升机，而不是反过来。第160特种作战航空团（SOAR），更广为人知的绰号是“夜行者”，拥有一支小型机队，由高度定制的MH-60“直接行动穿透者”（DAP）武装直升机组成，这些直升机是在标准的H-60L“黑鹰”直升机的基础上改装而来。但其机舱通常塞满了弹药库和一个大型外挂油箱，因此它是否能够运送哪怕一小队士兵投入战斗尚不确定，但可能性不大。通常情况下，标准的特种作战改装型MH-60会与DAP一起运送部队。

或许可以将美国海军陆战队的 UH-1Y 毒液直升机与米-35 直升机相提并论，但它本质上是一款通用直升机，随着时间的推移演变成了运输武装直升机。

不管它的潜在同类产品如何，米-24系列直升机在首次飞行近50年后仍然提供了大量的功能——这证明了米尔设计团队的独创性，他们使这款至今仍令人畏惧的攻击直升机成为现实。

联系作者：Tyler@thedrive.com

评论加载失败，请刷新页面。