Profile
- Type
- Attack helicopter and armed assault transport
- Conflict side
- Ukraine
- Origin
- Soviet Union / Russia
- Service note
- Introduced in the early 1970s; still in service with post-Soviet and export operators
Aircraft & UAVs
Mi-24/Mi-35
The Mi-24/Mi-35 Hind family combines an armored attack helicopter with limited troop-carrying capacity, giving operators a platform for close air support, anti-armor fires, and armed escort. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Ukraine has used legacy and donated Mi-24V/Mi-35 airframes for low-level rocket attacks and adapted some Hinds to carry Western unguided rockets.
- Conflict side
- Ukraine
- Built in
- Soviet UnionRussia
Service History
- In service
- Accepted into Soviet service in the early 1970s; Mi-35 export variants remain active
- Used by
- Ukrainian Army Aviation, Czech Air Force, Polish Armed Forces, Russian Aerospace Forces
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War
Production History
- Designer
- Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant
- Designed
- Late 1960s
- Built in
- Soviet UnionRussia
- Unit cost
- Not consistently published for legacy and export variants
- Produced
- Mi-24 series from 1970; Mi-35 export and upgrade variants later
- Number built
- More than 2,600 Mi-24 family helicopters reported in open references
- Variants
- Mi-24D, Mi-24V, Mi-24P, Mi-35, Mi-35M
Specifications
- Crew and troops
- 2 crew with space for up to 8 troops on Mi-24D-style assault-transport variants
- Armament
- Variant-dependent gun or cannon armament plus rocket pods, anti-tank missiles, gun pods, or bomb loads on wing pylons
- Payload
- 2,400 kg listed by the Czech Ministry of Defence for Mi-24 tactical-technical data
- Speed
- 310 km/h high-speed cruise and 260 km/h typical cruise
- Range
- 750 km maximum flight distance; 160 km tactical operation range
- Maximum takeoff weight
- 12,500 kg
- Rotor
- Five-blade main rotor and three-blade anti-torque tail rotor
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: Ukraine
Ukrainian Army Aviation operates Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters in the war, including Czech- and Polish-supplied Mi-24V/Mi-35 airframes; reporting documents rocket-lobbing attacks in eastern Ukraine and later integration of U.S. Hydra 70 mm rockets.
Mi-24/Mi-35 Images
Related Weapon Systems
Mi-28Attack helicopterThe Mi-28 Havoc is a Russian two-seat attack helicopter developed for anti-armor, close air support, and armed reconnaissance missions. Modern Mi-28N/NM-family aircraft combine armored tandem cockpits, a 30 mm chin cannon, guided missiles, rockets, and day/night sensors; Russian forces have used the type in the Russia-Ukraine War, where helicopters have faced dense ground-based air-defense and drone threats..jpg?width=480)
Ka-52Attack and reconnaissance helicopterThe Ka-52 is a Russian two-seat attack and reconnaissance helicopter derived from the Ka-50 and built around a coaxial rotor layout, side-by-side crew cockpit, 30 mm cannon, and guided-missile hardpoints. In the Russia-Ukraine War it became one of Russia's most visible rotary-wing strike platforms, especially in southern Ukraine where Ka-52 and Ka-52M crews used longer-range anti-tank missiles against Ukrainian ground forces.
Sea KingMulti-role maritime helicopterThe Sea King is the British-built Westland WS-61 version of the Sikorsky S-61, adapted for naval anti-submarine, search-and-rescue, utility, and transport missions. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Ukraine's Sea Kings come from allied donations rather than new production, giving Ukrainian naval aviation a proven twin-engine maritime helicopter for rescue, reconnaissance, coast guard support, and transport tasks.
BrimstoneAnti-tank guided missileBrimstone is a British MBDA precision-guided anti-armor missile built around millimetric-wave radar guidance, with later variants adding semi-active laser and inertial navigation options. In Ukraine it has been adapted from its original air-launched role into a donated ground-launched anti-tank capability for striking Russian armor and formations.
MILANMan-portable anti-tank guided missileMILAN is a Franco-German, wire-guided anti-tank guided missile built around a reusable launch post and disposable missile round. Designed for infantry anti-armor teams, the SACLOS system requires the operator to keep the sight on target while guidance commands travel through a wire link. France has documented MILAN systems among the anti-tank weapons delivered to Ukraine for the Russia-Ukraine War.
Black HornetNano reconnaissance UAVThe Black Hornet is a pocket-sized military nano-UAV used by dismounted troops for short-range reconnaissance, target identification, and immediate situational awareness. In Ukraine, donated Black Hornet 3 systems give small units a low-signature day and thermal sensor that can look over obstacles, into urban terrain, and around trench lines without exposing an operator.Sources
Mil Mi-24 - NATO code: HINDPublisher: Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic | Note: Supports Mi-24 tactical-technical data, role, weapons fit, rotor arrangement, and performance figures. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Mi-35 (Mi-24V) - Technical SpecificationsPublisher: Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic | Note: Supports Mi-35 export-variant background and Rostvertol manufacturer context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Mil Mi-24DPublisher: Pima Air & Space Museum | Note: Supports general Mi-24 design background, troop-carrying concept, service history, manufacturer, crew/troop capacity, and baseline performance figures. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Poland's aid to UkrainePublisher: National Security Bureau of Poland | Note: Supports direct Russia-Ukraine War transfer context for Polish Mi-24 helicopters supplied to Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Mi-24V Gunship Helicopter Donated By Czech Republic Seen In Action Over UkrainePublisher: The Aviationist | Note: Supports direct Russia-Ukraine War operational context for Czech-supplied Mi-24V/Mi-35 helicopters flying rocket attacks over eastern Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Ukraine's Mi-24 Hinds Now Armed With U.S. 70mm Hydra RocketsPublisher: TWZ | Note: Supports direct Russia-Ukraine War context for Ukrainian Mi-24s using indirect rocket attacks and being adapted for U.S.-supplied Hydra 70 mm rockets. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Bulgarian Mi-24 Hind.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports primary image provenance; Wikimedia Commons lists the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence as author and a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Yellow Mil Mi-24 Hind side MW.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance and licensing for a Mi-24 display aircraft photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-20