"Were the Soviet Union to sink tomorrow under the waters of the ocean, the American military-industrial establishment would have to go on, substantially unchanged, until some other adversary could be invented. Anything else would be an unacceptable shock to the American economy."
- George Frost Kennan, American advisor, diplomat, political scientist, and historian, best known as "the father of containment" and as a key figure in the emergence of the Cold War

The core of the aircraft was derived from the Mil Mi-8 (NATO reporting name "Hip") with two top-mounted turboshaft engines driving a mid-mounted 17.3 m five-blade main rotor and a three-blade tail rotor. The engine configuration gave the aircraft its distinctive double air intake. Original versions have an angular greenhouse-style cockpit; Model D and later have a characteristic tandem cockpit with a "double bubble" canopy. Other airframe components came from the Mi-14 "Haze". Two mid-mounted stub wings provide weapon hardpoints, each offering three stations, in addition to providing lift. The loadout mix is mission dependent; Mi-24s can be tasked with close air support, anti-tank operations, or aerial combat.

The Mi-24's titanium rotor blades are resistant to 12.7 mm rounds. The cockpit is protected by ballistic-resistant windscreens and a titanium-armored tub. The cockpit and crew compartment are over-pressurized to protect the crew in NBC conditions.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of an East German Mil Mi-24P "Hind-F" attack helicopter that was attached to the 5th Helicopter Squadron, then deployed to Basepohl AB, Eastern Germany. Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Length: 10-3/4-inches
Rotor Span: 9-1/2-inches

Release Date: January 2026

Historical Account: "Border Guards" - The first Mi-24Ps entered the East German Army in 1982, which already used helicopters of the Mi-24D modification. The helicopters were regularly used for border patrol. After German reunification, all aircraft and helicopters of the East German Air Force were integrated into the Luftwaffe of West Germany. All equipment received new four-digit numbers. Two Mi-24Ps (96+40 and 96+47) and one Mi-24D (96+39) were transferred to a test centre, where they underwent comprehensive evaluation. Another two Mi-24s were sold to the USA, while the rest were grouped into a single unit and put on display. Later, most of them were sold to Poland and Hungary.