I know, I know… I’m the only person I know who gets excited about this stuff, but I couldn’t help this one.
On our way out to pick Ron up from the airport, as Ben and I
cavorted across
Budapest, I looked out the window as a large, familiar silhouette from my childhood instantly registered on my retinas.
I gasped (I’m sure Ben thought something was wrong), pointed, and shouted, “Ben!
That’s an Mil-Mi-24 ‘Hind-D’ Gunship from the Soviet Era!”
He cocked an eyebrow, so I continued, “for several years – that is, until we started supplying Afghani freedom fighters with ‘Stinger’ surface-to-air missile systems – the Hind was arguably the most perfect close-air-
support and anti-tank weapon in the Soviet arsenal.
Even for its size, it boasted a top speed of over 310 mph (25 mph faster than our AH-64 Apache gunship helo), while still carrying a troop load of 12, a 20 mm chain gun mounted on a swivel-pod at the chin, and 6 hard-point pylons for a variety of rocket and missile systems (the most common of which were a combination of 2.5” rockets, additional 20 mm gun pods, and AA-10 “Atoll” air-to-air missiles or “Spiral” air-to-ground guided missiles.
To your average ground or tank unit, the Hind’s approaching roar would have meant certain death to just about anything in the immediate vicinity, and again, despite its size, the Hind maintained a high degree of both maneuverability as well as survivability thanks to its armor-plating.
Interestingly, however, with the development of shoulder-launched, highly accurate, optically and laser guided surface to air missile systems like the “Stinger”, a single little Afghani could bring
one of these massive birds down with a single shot, and once they got good at it, did so with amazing regularity.
By the end of the Afghan War, even Soviet soldiers called these machines “flying coffins” because the Afghanies would hide behind rocks until the Hind had picked up a full troop load, wait until it got substantially airborne, and then pop off a Stinger to bring it, the crew and the troops to a fiery debacle.
Still, you just never expect to see one of these things sitting by the side of the road on your way to the airport.”
As I finished, Ben laughed and said, “well, then, we’ll have to stop on our way back.”
We did so, nearly were killed crossing 6 lanes of traffic to get to the little fenced in area, but got some good photos despite the fact that we couldn’t actually “get in” to the little park for close ups.
Here’s also me standing in front of a Soviet era surface-to-air missile rack.
I’m the guy in the black t-shirt… just in case you couldn’t pick me out.
:- ):
I know, I know… I’m the only person I know who gets excited about this stuff, but I couldn’t help this one. On our way out to pick Ron up from the airport, as Ben and I cavorted across 
one of these massive birds down with a single shot, and once they got good at it, did so with amazing regularity. By the end of the Afghan War, even Soviet soldiers called these machines “flying coffins” because the Afghanies would hide behind rocks until the Hind had picked up a full troop load, wait until it got substantially airborne, and then pop off a Stinger to bring it, the crew and the troops to a fiery debacle. Still, you just never expect to see one of these things sitting by the side of the road on your way to the airport.” As I finished, Ben laughed and said, “well, then, we’ll have to stop on our way back.” We did so, nearly were killed crossing 6 lanes of traffic to get to the little fenced in area, but got some good photos despite the fact that we couldn’t actually “get in” to the little park for close ups. Here’s also me standing in front of a Soviet era surface-to-air missile rack. I’m the guy in the black t-shirt… just in case you couldn’t pick me out. :- ):
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