{"id":2732,"date":"2026-08-12T21:13:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T21:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/2026\/08\/12\/mi-24-hind-plays-adversary-in-u-s-marine-corps-exercise\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T21:13:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T21:13:24","slug":"mi-24-hind-plays-adversary-in-u-s-marine-corps-exercise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/2026\/08\/12\/mi-24-hind-plays-adversary-in-u-s-marine-corps-exercise\/","title":{"rendered":"Mi-24 Hind Plays \u2018Adversary\u2019 in U.S. Marine Corps Exercise"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mi-24<\/p>\n

Since 2020, two Mi-24D Hind helicopter gunships have provided invaluable threat replication to the U.S. Marine Corps, Army and Air Force.<\/h2>\n

The participation of a Russian-made Mi-24D Hind attack helicopter in the U.S. Marine Corps Adversary Force Exercise (AFX) 4-26 at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twenty Nine Palms, California, has again shone the spotlight on dissimilar combat training<\/a> with actual threat platforms the U.S. has been running for a while.<\/p>\n

Two known Mi-24 airframes, \u2018118\u2019 and \u2018120\u2019 \u2013 with the numbers stenciled just before the engine exhausts, have appeared in Marine and U.S. Air Force press releases on DVIDS since 2020. The two Hinds have served realistic threat replication in aerial ground attack for the Marines, the U.S. Army, and helicopter-on-helicopter testing against both the U.S. Air Force Rescue Squadrons\u2019s (RQS) HH-60G Pave Hawks and Army UH-60 Black Hawks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The latest official images, captured on Jul. 31, 2026 released on the DVIDS network on Aug. 9<\/a>, show \u2018118\u2019 providing \u201cair support during a company attack\u201d during the AFX. The AFX offers \u201ctraining and certification across multiple warfighting functions in realistic force-on-force scenarios,\u201d explains the service.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

An ex-Bulgarian Air Force Mi-24D Hind-D (N118NX) provides air support during a company attack as a part of Adversary Force Exercise 4-26 at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, Aug. 1, 2026.<\/p>\n

(\"\ud83d\udcf8\"\/U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Vincent Needham) https:\/\/t.co\/I2LtujCXeQ<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ro7Ze3Uy1G<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Guy Plopsky (@GuyPlopsky) August 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It is important to note that this is not the first time Russian aircraft have been used by the U.S. government. In fact, around 30 Russian Mi-17s and the type\u2019s export variant, the Mi-171, are estimated to be operated by the CIA and the U.S. Army\u2019s Aviation Technology Office (ATO), and are periodically sighted<\/a> flying without recognizable markings.<\/p>\n

Mi-24s in U.S. military exercises<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We previously reported<\/a> here at The Aviationist<\/em> on Jan. 24, 2020 about the first time U.S. Air Force used an actual adversary aircraft to replicate threats instead of their own HH-60 Pave Hawks. The exercise saw the 355th Wing\u2019s 55th RQS \u201ctraining with two Russian Mi-24 attack helicopters at Davis-Monthan AFB outside Tucson, Arizona.\u201d Both \u2018120\u2019 and \u2018118\u2019 were seen in the official images.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A Mil Mi-24 Hind helicopter simulates an adversary attack during a Base Recovery After Attack Training as part of Integrated Training Exercise 1-26 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, Jan. 31, 2026. | Source: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jozef P. Majewski<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The then 55th RQS flight commander Capt. Kurt Wallin said: \u201cThis is the first time this training has been done outside the weapons school at Nellis AFB. This is [also] the first time we have trained outside of HH-60G Pave Hawk versus HH-60G. This training lets us see the capabilities of other aircraft against our own tactics and procedures.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A Mil Mi-24 Hind helicopter simulates an attack during a Base Recovery After Attack Training as part of Integrated Training Exercise 4-25 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, August 2, 2025. | Source: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jozef P. Majewski<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since then, \u2018120\u2019 has appeared in Base Recovery After Attack Training (BRAAT) drills at Twenty Nine Palms on Jan.<\/a> 31, 2026<\/a> and Aug. 2, 2025<\/a>. The BRAAT drill from Feb. 1, 2025<\/a> doesn\u2019t clearly show the Mi-24\u2019s airframe number.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A Mi-24 Hind Attack Helicopter coordinates a simulated attack during a Basic Recovery After Attack exercise as part of Integrated Training Exercise 1-25, at the Strategic Expeditionary Landing Field, Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, Feb. 1, 2025. | Source: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Anna Higman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One Mar. 27, 2024<\/a>, the Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) Course 2-24 near Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, Arizona, saw \u2018118\u2019 flying as an opposing force against U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawks. This also marked the first time Army Black Hawks participated in a Marine WTI exercise, which integrates Marine ground forces, command and control systems, logistics and air defense.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A Mil Mi-24 Hind helicopter assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One flies as an opposing force rotary aircraft during the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course 2-24 near Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., March 27, 2024. | Source: Alaska National Guard photo by Alejandro Pe\u00f1a<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Feb. 15, 2022 video<\/a> again featured the U.S. Air Force\u2019s 55th RQS which employed a Hind for \u201cmore realistic training against a potential adversary aircraft,\u201d according to Capt. Glynis Facciano.<\/p>\n

\ufeff<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, on Jun. 6, 2022 at Moody AFB, Georgia<\/a>, the 41st RQS maneuvered its Pave Hawk against \u2018118\u2019. Pilots Capt. Tyler Hudson and Maj. Matthew Keough said the \u201cfight against an actual threat helicopter\u201d in \u201cbasic helicopter maneuvering\u201d gave an \u201caccurate representation both visually and aerodynamically.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Another event dates back to Apr. 20-22, 1997 reported on DVIDS on Jun. 27, 2025<\/a>, where a Mi-24 conducted a ground attack in a simulated aerial chemical strike at the Dona Ana Range at Fort Bliss. The caption said this airframe was operated by the Optec Threat Support Activity based at Biggs Army Airfield in Texas.<\/p>\n

A few months later in Jun. 1997, the U.S. and Saddam Hussein\u2019s Iraq clashed diplomatically over United Nations Special Commission Weapons (UNSCOM) weapons inspectors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter simulates ground attacks as it flies in the mist of a simulated aerial chemical attack on an air defense site at Dona Ana Range, Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, on April 22, 1997, during Exercise Roving Sands \u201997. The Russian made helicopter is operated by Optec Threat Support Activity, Biggs Army Airfield, Texas. | Source: U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jim Shryne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Origins<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A Mar. 15, 2018 feature by Elan Head for Vertical Magazine<\/em>, said that the Hinds used in the threat simulation likely belong to VTS Aviation LLC (VTSA) out of Tacoma, Washington, and System Studies & Simulation (S3) Inc. out of Huntsville, Alabama.<\/p>\n

The two Hinds have Bulgarian origins and were displayed at the Cold War Air Museum until 2017 when the venue closed, and then began to appear in threat simulations under contract for the U.S. military.<\/p>\n

It appears however that the U.S. Marine Corps might now have stepped in, as the captions accompanying the latest images mention that the Mi-24s are operated by the service. The captions of the 2024 images further mentioned that the helicopters are assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1).<\/p>\n

Mi-24 Hind<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Mi-24 Hind is the only heavyweight-class attack helicopter that is also a tactical troop carrier. The cabin, with an eight-person capacity, primarily extensively served troop insertion and exfiltration, especially during the Soviet-Afghan War.<\/p>\n

The helicopter was first introduced in the 1970s for combat in eastern Europe with NATO. The eight-year-long counter-insurgency war in Afghanistan later exposed its limitations, as safety concerns for the on-board infantry restricted Hind crews from more aggressive tactics. Troops were thus often flown on Mi-8s, with the Mi-24s providing fire support.<\/p>\n

\n

A Ukrainian Mi-24 performing an ultra-low-level flight over fortified defensive lines. pic.twitter.com\/vX75CZqlFO<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Special Kherson Cat \"\ud83d\udc08\"\"\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\" (@bayraktar_1love) June 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

However, an attack helicopter with a large cabin with reconfigurable seats and stretchers does offer a ton of functionality across MEDEVAC\/CASEVAC, tactical resupply and Combat Search and Rescue<\/a> (CSAR) roles \u2013\u00a0 especially in the absence of separate assets for these missions. In Ukraine, Russia\u2019s rotary-wing CSAR package typically consists of a weaponized Mi-8\/Mi-17, supported by a Ka-52 Alligator and\/or a Mi-28 Havoc.<\/p>\n

Attack helicopters today have adopted a counter-drone role<\/a>, with the Ukrainian Mi-24 too being used widely in hunting Russia\u2019s One-Way Attack (OWA) UAVs. However, this mission profile imposed on Ukraine\u2019s limited Hinds restricts their massive utility in pushing back<\/a> Russian forces on the ground, although helicopters themselves have been vulnerable<\/a> to small drones<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Mi-35M is the Hind\u2019s most heavily upgraded variant developed by Mil. It features an improved engine, rotor blades, transmission, drivetrain offering enhanced \u2018hot and high\u2019 performance, a digital night vision-capable glass cockpit and improved navigation and communications suites.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Another Ukrainian Mi-24 bearing an impressive 98 kill marks for Russian drones shot down. https:\/\/t.co\/WQy5T79k1b<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/zmgXG19T0f<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Special Kherson Cat \"\ud83d\udc08\"\"\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\" (@bayraktar_1love) August 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since 2020, two Mi-24D Hind helicopter gunships have provided invaluable threat replication to the U.S. Marine Corps, Army and Air Force. The participation of a Russian-made Mi-24D Hind attack helicopter in the U.S. Marine Corps Adversary Force Exercise (AFX) 4-26 at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twenty Nine Palms, California, has again […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}