- 3 months ago
For educational purposes
The Soviet strategic and tactical air forces and their Warsaw Pact allies form the largest air power ever deployed.
Heavily outnumbering NATO forces they are now closing the gap in terms of quality and sophistication.
Soviet Air Power uses unique footage which was specially released by the Soviet armed forces for this programme together with film taken by Western forces during intercepts and exchange visit to tell the story of this immense war machine.
Superb action shots of the latest aircraft including the Mig-27 Flogger D and Mig-29 Fulcrum fighters, the giant AN-124 Ruslan transport, and Mil-24 Hind attack helicopter are combined with weapon firings, air-to-surface attacks, high level intercepts, and ground missile defences.
The programme has a detailed script by leading aviation authority Bill Gunston.
The Soviet strategic and tactical air forces and their Warsaw Pact allies form the largest air power ever deployed.
Heavily outnumbering NATO forces they are now closing the gap in terms of quality and sophistication.
Soviet Air Power uses unique footage which was specially released by the Soviet armed forces for this programme together with film taken by Western forces during intercepts and exchange visit to tell the story of this immense war machine.
Superb action shots of the latest aircraft including the Mig-27 Flogger D and Mig-29 Fulcrum fighters, the giant AN-124 Ruslan transport, and Mil-24 Hind attack helicopter are combined with weapon firings, air-to-surface attacks, high level intercepts, and ground missile defences.
The programme has a detailed script by leading aviation authority Bill Gunston.
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LearningTranscript
00:00Tonight on Wings,
00:26take off with the Discovery Channel and Soviet Airpower.
00:30New data on Soviet aircraft technology has had a sobering effect on many military leaders.
00:36Once thought to deploy only sheer quantity,
00:39the new Soviet airpower consists of highly sophisticated jets rivaling any in the West.
00:45The Soviet's latest aircraft, the MiG-27 Flogger and the MiG-29 Fulcrum,
00:50employ advanced avionics and missile technology.
00:53These jets are a match for anything the West has in the air.
00:57Tonight, soar high with Soviet airpower on Wings.
01:06Recent events in the Soviet Union point to a dramatic decay in that nation's might, influence and unity.
01:12But in spite of all this political turmoil,
01:15the USSR's formidable arsenal of airpower remains the world's only credible threat to American dominance of the skies.
01:22Just as there are many Soviet republics, so too are there many Soviet air forces.
01:29They include autonomous air armies, the frontal or tactical aviation group, and military transport aviation.
01:35Showing no signs of the fractures affecting the USSR,
01:38they remain unified as the Soviet air forces, or VVS.
01:43Right from its birth, Russia, and later the Soviet Union, has felt itself surrounded by enemies.
01:51From the Mongol tribes of Genghis Khan, to Napoleon, to Hitler.
01:55Time and again, invading armies have ravaged the land.
01:58Even during the Russian civil war of 1918, Western troops fought alongside white Russian armies in an attempt to defeat the Bolsheviks.
02:07Indeed, Lenin proclaimed that the capitalist nations would forever try to destroy this pioneer communist state.
02:13But this age-old suspicion of the outside world has always prompted the state to maintain huge armed forces.
02:21By the 1930s, the Soviet Union was eager to display the achievements of its nationwide centralized planning.
02:39Embodying this desire was the Antonov-20 Maxim Gorky, largest aircraft in the world.
02:44The flagship of a propaganda squadron.
02:46It often flew escorted by fighters to accentuate its huge size.
02:51The rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930s threatened the fledgling Soviet state.
03:00But the Red Army, weakened by terrible internal divisions,
03:03and with many of its key officers killed in Stalin's purges, was not ready to repel an invasion.
03:10On June 22, 1941, Hitler unleashed 5 million troops against the USSR.
03:16The resulting conflict saw an estimated 30 million Soviets lose their lives.
03:21This war against Germany was known by the Soviets as the Great Patriotic War.
03:27The Luftwaffe was ordered to destroy the cities.
03:32To defend their motherland, thousands of young men and women from all over the Soviet Union joined the air defense group,
03:39which included barrage balloons, anti-aircraft guns, and fighters.
03:44The battle for control of the air over the cities was long, bloody, and hard.
03:48The most numerous fighters were the Yaks, of which over 37,000 were built,
04:05more than any other type of fighter in history.
04:07This despite the fact that in the fall of 1941, to avoid being bombed,
04:13production facilities had to be moved far to the east,
04:16often to places where there were no railways and only dirt roads.
04:21But there was never a shortage, either of fighters or of pilots.
04:25No fewer than 93 members of the air defense group were recognized as heroes of the Soviet Union,
04:31an honor never bestowed lightly.
04:33These BF-110s, 109s, and FW-190s were among the more than 7,300 fascist aircraft
04:44confirmed as destroyed by the air defense group,
04:47whose equipment was swelled by large numbers of American air cobras and British hurricanes.
04:52The tide began to turn in favor of the Soviet Union.
04:55A lasting bond of friendship was formed with France,
05:04whose pilots formed a special unit, the Normandine-Niemann Regiment.
05:08With 237 confirmed victories, it was by far the top-scoring French unit of World War II.
05:14Many thousands of families in the Soviet Union have seen fathers, sons, and even grandsons
05:27serve in the defense of the motherland.
05:30In the Great Patriotic War, David Kachuk flew no fewer than 820 combat missions,
05:36mostly in SB-2 bombers.
05:38Not many details have filtered through to the outside world about the massive Soviet bomber campaign,
05:45which put down more bomb tonnage on the fascist heartlands
05:48than the combined weight of the RAF and U.S. Army Air Force.
05:53David had two sons, both of whom serve today.
05:58No air force in the world has a greater sense of history than that of the VVS,
06:03the Central Air Forces of the Soviet Union.
06:06Virtually every cadet visits the Air Force's museum at Monino
06:10to see the actual Lovachkins, Yaks, and MiGs that drove off the invaders.
06:15After graduating from high school, thousands of cadets each year start on the long road
06:20that leads to being a Soviet combat pilot.
06:25Right at the start, remotely piloted model airplanes are used to instill a feeling of air combat
06:30and a sense of how to achieve a dominant tactical position.
06:36These youngsters plan to go on to a military air school,
06:43where they'll be instructed and monitored by political officers.
06:47In past times, great emphasis was placed on ideological purity, patriotism, and political dogma.
06:53Also important is the use of gliders.
06:57Here at the Venitsa Aero Club in the Ukraine,
07:00Czech-built Blanik tandem seat training gliders are used as the first step in basic flight training.
07:05This young man is the third generation of his family to devote his life to the VVS.
07:10Most pilots train on gliders at their nearest Aero Club.
07:18Many then go on to a very demanding aerobatic training on such agile aircraft as the Su-26,
07:24or Yak-55, and the Yak-53, here practicing in formation.
07:29Probably the best aerobatic trainers in the world.
07:31With such practical flight training behind them,
07:41the cadets feel ready to face the tough course at an Air Force flight academy.
07:50Here they are cut down to size and reminded that every mission starts from the ground and must be properly planned.
07:56Traditionally, their political training is also intensified.
07:59Before any pilot gets into the cockpit,
08:05he must perfect his skills in repeated sessions on electronic simulators.
08:10After weeks of training, at last comes the thrill of the first flight.
08:21The standard jet trainers are built in Czechoslovakia,
08:24the L-29 Delphin, seen here, and the L-39 Albatross.
08:29Both are tough, all-metal aircraft, much more advanced than anything the cadet has seen before.
08:38On his first flight, he's really little more than a passenger.
08:42But over the coming months, he becomes not just an able pilot,
08:46but totally at home under the most demanding circumstances.
08:49At last comes graduation,
08:53when the most able cadets pass out as fully qualified Soviet pilots,
08:57ready for posting to a combat training unit.
09:04First comes a combat training regiment,
09:07the kind known in the West as a combat crew training wing or operation conversion unit.
09:11Here, the eager fledglings are introduced to MiG-21s.
09:24This tailed delta wing fighter serves with more air forces than any other aircraft.
09:30Those used for training are unpainted,
09:32but in every other respect,
09:33they are characteristic of those serving in combat units.
09:36After honing their flying skills
09:46and familiarizing themselves with the partial pressure flying suit and helmet,
09:50the course continues.
09:51Each pilot is already accomplished in formation flying,
09:53but now he has to deal with Mach 2 power and performance.
10:22Each mission flown provides that extra bit of knowledge and experience
10:25in the handling of fast jet fighters.
10:51Eventually, at the end of the course,
11:09successful pilots are ready for their first assignment to an operational unit
11:13within the gigantic force called frontal aviation,
11:17there to fly alongside the best Soviet pilots in the air.
11:24The MiG-21 has got to be one of my favorite airplanes.
11:28I really enjoyed the F-14s, of course,
11:31which was a much more complex airplane than the MiG-21,
11:36a much more capable airplane than the MiG-21,
11:38but you paid a certain price in the amount of time it took you
11:41to get the thing preflighted and started up and get all the systems up and operating.
11:47So the MiG-21 combines a lot of really good performance
11:52while being very straightforward and simple and kind of quick and dirty,
11:57if you will, to get the thing up in the air.
11:59So that airplane would have to count as one of my favorites
12:02as a fighter pilot in three different cruises.
12:06And it's an airplane that we were always trained and ready to be on the lookout for.
12:13So it's been real interesting to go see how it compares to what we thought it was going to be like,
12:19go see how it actually flies compared to what our literature said on it,
12:23and it's real impressive.
12:26This MiG-21 memorial commemorates a Soviet pilot
12:35who rammed his aircraft into an intruding plane.
12:43Beyond the gate is a frontal aviation base
12:46in the giant region of Siberia in the Far East.
12:49One of the officers stationed there is Anatoly Kachuk,
13:00younger son of wartime bomber pilot David Kachuk.
13:07Anatoly Kachuk's regiment is equipped with the MiG-21 BIS,
13:11many thousands of which have been built for the Soviet Frontal Air Forces.
13:19Anatoly Kachuk's regiment is equipped with the MiG-21 BIS is equipped with the MiG-21 BIS is equipped with the MiG-21 BIS is equipped with the MiG-21 BIS.
13:49When his father left off, Anatoly teaches his pilots how to navigate and how to win in air combat.
14:04Frequent flights are made with pairs of aircraft,
14:07usually carrying UV-1657 unguided rocket pods.
14:11Pilots are instructed in how to attack ground targets with unguided rockets and also with the twin 23-millimeter internal cannon.
14:34In the air combat role, MiG-21s often fire the K-13A missile,
14:42which homes by sensing the infrared emissions from the target's tailpipe.
14:47The CO from the Far Eastern Republics gives a lesson in interception tactics
14:51while emphasizing the absolute need of mastering one's aircraft.
14:55If you open the fire again, you're not far away.
14:59You see?
15:00They build the hulls at the same time, at the set of distances, intervals, everything as it should be.
15:09Korotchenko shoots two straight catches, right in the engine.
15:15Using a model of the swing wing MiG-23, he explains the next maneuver expected of his pupils.
15:24They will climb more than three miles at 375 miles per hour
15:28before performing a split-S maneuver to level flight.
15:31When ever possible, pupils walk through the entire mission on a plot marked out on the airfield,
15:49each student representing the relative position of his aircraft.
15:52But the big hangar doors are soon opened.
16:03Pupils and instructors taxiing out in their MiG-23U trainers.
16:07Each is capable of over Mach 2,
16:10and the MiG-23U is one of the most common combat trainers in the Soviet Frontal Aviation Group.
16:15They take off in pairs down a runway whose size matches the vastness of the country.
16:22Climbing for altitude, pupils and instructors know that on this mission,
16:30they need not wear oxygen masks.
16:33They are going to practice the interception of hostile aircraft at medium altitude.
16:38Nothing very demanding, but to the inexperienced pilot,
16:41the sheer power and complexity of the aircraft poses a real challenge.
16:45More than 5,000 miles and eight time zones away from his younger brother, Anatoly,
16:53we find the frontline regiment of Victor Kachuk.
16:58Armed with the UV-1657 and UV-3257 rocket launcher,
17:03this aircraft is another version of the MiG-23, the 23MF.
17:08The aircraft's GSH-23L twin-barrel cannon are serviced and armed before each mission.
17:20In the locker room, the pilots dress for action.
17:24Today, their ordinance will include the simple K-13A air-to-air missile with an infrared homing head.
17:30As usual, Victor Kachuk will lead the aircraft detailed for this practice mission.
17:40Between them, the aircraft will carry several hundred 57-millimeter rockets,
18:04which can be fired in any kind of weather, day or night.
18:07Fuel is always important,
18:34and the tower quickly gives clearance for successive takeoffs,
18:37using full afterburner.
18:41More aircraft of this type are serving in Soviet frontline regiments
18:45than any other combat aircraft in the world.
18:50Some NATO critics have suggested that the MiG cannot maneuver very well.
18:54They have likened it to a juggernaut truck or a supertanker.
18:59Recent experience in the Gulf has lent further support to these critics,
19:03in that mass-produced Soviet military hardware was simply not up to par
19:08with the more complex Western systems.
19:10Arriving over the target, Kachuk and his men roll over into dive attacks,
19:28and taking careful aim, fire their salvos of supersonic rockets.
19:33Frontal aviation probably goes through more rockets in a year
19:39than the rest of the world's air forces combined.
19:42Some of the aircraft are carrying bombs,
19:44and others, cluster dispensers.
19:51Guided by radar, the MiGs head for home.
19:53A half an hour later, landing gears extended.
20:08They land one after another, slowed by their drag chutes.
20:11I'm Hoot Gibson, MiG pilot for Combat Jets Flying Museum.
20:24Wings will be right back on the Discovery Channel.
20:27Connect to the...
20:28Throughout the endless frontier of the Soviet Union,
20:33tens of thousands of radar installations operated by the PVO,
20:37or Air Defense Group, keep watch for hostile aircraft or missiles.
20:42Among them are the biggest and most powerful radars in the world.
20:46Small surveillance and target tracking radars are used in great numbers
20:49by the PVO's ZR, or surface-to-air missile troops.
20:53All PVO forces in each area are controlled from hardened command centers,
20:58coordinating all radar and defense forces.
21:00Every day, hundreds of target engagement and tracking radars are put on alert.
21:09The troops respond instantly, treating every exercise as a real attack.
21:13Launch crews dash down into hardened bunkers
21:16to prepare and control launch facilities
21:18for the world's most common surface-to-air missile, the SA-2,
21:23more than 100,000 of which were built over the years.
21:26Many of these large but aging weapons are at readiness on fixed sites.
21:41Many thousands of SA-2s are brought up on trucks for reloading.
21:44Often they travel a long way through rough territory,
21:47and the exercise sharpens every man's performance,
21:51cutting precious seconds off the time needed to get into action.
21:54Each week, several thousand new men, almost all of them conscripts,
21:59are trained in the complex duties of manning PVO's ZR missile sites.
22:04The newcomers are given special attention
22:06so that each unit's performance will remain at peak effectiveness.
22:14Sometimes missiles are actually fired.
22:20Each shot aimed at a remotely piloted target.
22:24Unlike the NATO nations, the Soviet Union has a specialized military air transport force,
22:45the VTA.
22:46One of its chief types is the tremendously capable Ilyushin 76MD.
22:53Powered by four D30KP-1 turbofan engines,
22:57each fitted with a thrust reverser,
22:59the IL-76 can operate from short, rough airstrips
23:03with a full payload of close to 50 tons.
23:05Anyone who flies the 76MD feels he can truck anything, anywhere.
23:13The VTA trains all of its crews to feel like this.
23:16A recently qualified pilot makes his first trip on the flight deck of a 76
23:21belonging to a VTA unit which has received many state awards for its proficiency.
23:26His first indoctrination flight is quite short.
23:52Under control from the tower, the 76MD returns to its runway briefly using reverse thrust.
24:00There are many of these aircraft at the base taking part in a combined arms exercise.
24:05Various loads go aboard, including ASU-85 assault guns and BMD light-armored carriers.
24:11At the tail of each aircraft are multiple 23-millimeter cannons
24:16to provide radar-directed firepower against any hostile fighter.
24:20The crews of the Big Ilyushins are in constant readiness.
24:23Some aircraft are carrying 125 highly trained parachute troops.
24:28Others have armored vehicles, artillery, and other heavy loads,
24:31all tasked to capture and hold objectives on the ground.
24:35If they can make a landing, then they can evacuate sick and wounded.
24:38Get the forward, come back, ship.
24:42Get the forward, come back, ship.
24:49Launch the air, ship.
24:50Launch the air, ship.
24:55Launch the air, ship.
24:57Setting forth at over 465 miles per hour,
25:01a new member of the regiment is making his first simulated combat mission
25:04in the role of co-pilot.
25:08The paratroops settle in for a long flight.
25:38Below the cockpit, another crew member, the dispatcher, pinpoints the landing zone through radar and downward-looking observation windows, then gives the green light for the airdrop.
26:01First go the heavy loads, including the armored vehicles.
26:08As each load nears the ground, its fall is suddenly slowed by powerful retro-rockets, which soften the landing.
26:30Then come the troops with their equipment.
26:34In seconds, they fill the sky.
26:38A few more seconds, and they're on the ground, ready for action.
26:57Within minutes, a mobile armored force with formidable firepower is assembled and begins advancing.
27:09While the airborne forces advance, the big illusions are already back at their home airfield.
27:17In a real campaign, they would pick up a second load for reinforcements.
27:20If the paratroops captured an airfield intact, the big transports could easily insert additional troops without the need of an airdrop.
27:30One of the Soviet aircraft industry's greatest achievements was the Tupolov Tu-95, first flown in 1954.
27:51Called the Bear by NATO, this amazing aircraft is powered by four huge 15,000-horsepower turboprops.
28:00By driving eight-blade counter-rotating propellers, with their giant blades set at extremely coarse angles,
28:13this aircraft is able to combine the fuel economy of propeller drive with the speed of a jet.
28:19More remarkably, different versions of the Bear have been in production for over 35 years.
28:39These noble aircraft come in several different models.
28:46Originally designed as a high-altitude strategic bomber, the Tu-95 and today's Tu-142 now rumble over most of the northern hemisphere.
28:57Few aircraft in history can claim an unrefueled combat radius of over 5,000 miles and an effective range of more than double that distance.
29:09Two common versions of the Bear range across the world's oceans.
29:30The Bear D maritime reconnaissance aircraft has a giant belly radar,
29:34and the Tu-142 Bear-H cruise missile carrier has a new airframe and totally different equipment.
29:41Even though it is often closely shadowed by U.S. tactical aircraft,
29:56such air power enabled the Soviet Union to take its place as one of the world's true superpowers.
30:02Though now suffering through a time of great internal transition,
30:05the VVS remains an unmitigated asset,
30:09an asset enabling the USSR to stand nearly equal to the United States
30:13in its ability to deploy military power around the globe.
30:24Things on the Discovery Channel.
30:27Those seeking a commission with a front-line squadron of the VVS
30:33usually graduate from the Gargarin Academy,
30:36where technical and political training is extremely thorough.
30:40Graduates can't imagine anything more exciting than going on to pilot the fastest fighter in the world,
30:46the massive MiG-25.
30:48To this day, they are instructed in the dual-control MiG-25U.
30:53On the very first indoctrination mission,
30:56they may well climb to a height of 82,000 feet.
31:00At such a height, the sky is dark violet and the air is terribly thin.
31:04But at Mach 3, the journey back doesn't take very long.
31:11The trainer's second cockpit replaces the interceptor's huge radar,
31:16but the plane still has four large missile pylons
31:18and continuous wave target illuminating pods on the wingtips.
31:23After completing the MiG-25 course,
31:27the top pilots are posted to combat regiments
31:29equipped with MiG-25 interceptors.
31:34Even carrying four of the biggest air-to-air missiles in the world,
31:38the colossal combined thrust of two R-31 engines
31:41fires the 37-ton fighter down the runway like a bullet.
31:44On a practice intercept,
32:00each aircraft carries two radar-guided missiles
32:02and two infrared homing missiles.
32:04Even with this load, the MiG-25 can intercept an intruder
32:08up to 900 miles from its base and then return.
32:11The most numerous aircraft in today's frontal aviation group
32:28is the MiG-27.
32:31The MiG-27 is a close relative of the MiG-23,
32:34but with a totally different front end
32:36and an engine installation designed for air-to-ground missions
32:40at low level.
32:43The MiG-27 is a tough, well-equipped, and popular aircraft,
32:47and the temporary CO of this tactical unit,
32:50Viktor Salnikov, enjoys leading his men.
32:53Here they go on a training mission at dusk.
32:55The R-29-300 engine gives tremendous performance
33:15and rugged reliability at low level.
33:18The different versions of this aircraft
33:20are very fully equipped to find surface targets
33:22and survive enemy air defenses.
33:25Today, the Soviet military's Mikoyan design bureau
33:37has gone far beyond the MiG-27.
33:40Well over 500 frontal aviation pilots
33:42have qualified on this trainer,
33:44the MiG-29 UB.
33:52A totally new design first flown in 1977.
33:55The MiG-29 entered service in 1983,
33:59and yet, in some respects,
34:01is as advanced as state-of-the-art Western fighters.
34:03Yeah, do it.
34:04Yeah, do it.
34:04Yeah, do it.
34:05Yeah, do it.
34:05Yeah, do it.
34:06Yeah, do it.
34:08The nose of the UB two-seat conversion trainer
34:15houses a smaller radar
34:16than the single-seat fighter version.
34:18A lightweight 30-millimeter cannon
34:34is mounted in the left-hand wing route
34:36and is used in conjunction with a laser rangefinder.
34:39To the rear are two electronic warfare protection antennae,
34:43which look ahead from the leading edge.
34:45The solid fuselage construction is obvious.
34:55An unusual feature of the MiG-29
34:57is that on most interceptions,
34:59to avoid being detected,
35:00the pilot does not use his radar.
35:03Above the nose is a large infrared search-and-track glass ball
35:06through which looks the most sensitive,
35:08passive infrared detector ever fitted to a fighter.
35:16When these MiGs arrived at the 1988 Farnborough, England air show,
35:20everyone expected them to put on an exciting flying display.
35:23But in the crucial matter of avionics and fire control systems,
35:27it was taken for granted that Soviet technology
35:29was years behind the West's.
35:31American experts told the world
35:33that the MiG-29's advanced look-down, shoot-down, pulse-doppler radar
35:37was made possible only by stealing the secrets
35:40of the radar fitted to the American Hornet.
35:43It was therefore a shattering surprise
35:45to find that the MiG-29A
35:47has a radar in which almost every respect
35:50outperforms that of the F-A-18 Hornet
35:52and which, when coupled with the infrared search-and-track ball,
35:56provides unrivaled ability.
35:57On take-off and landing,
36:02the huge air inlets of the MiG-29's R-33D engines
36:06are shut off to avoid ingesting slush, stones, or water.
36:10Instead, the air is drawn in from above.
36:13Despite this, the MiG-29A
36:15has the amazingly short combat take-off run
36:17of only 790 feet.
36:19The pilot can then pull straight up into a vertical climb
36:22with the unrivaled climb rate of 65,000 feet per minute.
36:27At Farnborough, however,
36:37one of the surprises came
36:39when a MiG pilot stopped his aircraft in midair
36:41and let it fall back in a tail slide.
36:44MiG pilots have found that by hovering motionless,
36:47they can confuse enemy radars,
36:49which rely on Doppler effects
36:51caused by the motion of the target.
36:57Back in July 1986,
37:01a special detachment of six MiG-29As
37:04of an earlier subtype
37:05flew from Kubinka Air Base near Moscow
37:07to an airfield in Finland.
37:10This goodwill visit gave Western observers
37:12their first close-up view
37:14of a modern Soviet combat aircraft,
37:16even though the MiG-29
37:18had already been flying for nine years.
37:20A breathtaking display
37:50was put on by a solo performer.
38:01Followed by an even more exciting show
38:03by four fighters flying in formation.
38:05or by a solo수를 fly in induction.
38:09Oh, my God.
38:35At the time, what was not appreciated
38:38was how restrained the display was,
38:40not giving the slightest hint
38:42of the MiG-29's superb strength,
38:44agility, or surplus engine thrust.
38:48Today, we have a much better idea
38:50of just how powerful the MiG-29 really is.
38:54Even with one engine shutdown,
38:56it maintains a thrust-to-weight ratio
38:58that is nearly equal.
39:00A good characterization of the MiGs
39:10would be that they are maybe not very much
39:12in the way of putting them in a showroom
39:14to put them on display.
39:15They're not going to look quite as pretty
39:17as some of the airplanes that we've got,
39:18but they get out there, and they do the job,
39:21and they keep operating,
39:22and they don't break down very much.
39:24Connect to discern to wings
39:26on the Discovery Channel.
39:30Soviet helicopter designers
39:31today rank second to none.
39:34The Mill Bureau produced a helicopter
39:36in 1956, which dwarfed all others.
39:39Even this one, the Mi-8,
39:41is bigger and more powerful
39:42than its Western counterpart,
39:44the Sea King.
39:47And despite its impressive capability,
39:49which includes an internal payload
39:51of over 8,800 pounds,
39:53over 10,000 of these massive choppers
39:55have been built.
39:58Vehicles can drive in
40:00through the rear doors.
40:02Where a landing might be hazardous,
40:04troops can rappel down a rope
40:05to the ground.
40:08Mi-8 helicopters have been exported
40:10to at least 40 countries,
40:12including Finland.
40:12large numbers of Mi-8s
40:22played a central role
40:23in Afghanistan.
40:25There, hundreds were deployed,
40:26serving with both Soviet
40:28and Afghan government troops.
40:39There, they encountered
40:40surprisingly heavy fire
40:41from the Mujahideen.
40:43To try to crush all resistance,
40:45heavily armed Mi-24 helicopters
40:47were also used in Afghanistan.
40:50The big gunship helicopter
40:51can fly attack, anti-tank,
40:53troop transport, electronic warfare,
40:55and special reconnaissance missions.
40:57An indication of the performance
40:58capabilities of the Mi-24
41:00was provided when it set
41:02a world speed record
41:03of 229 miles per hour in 1978.
41:08During Army exercises,
41:09the Soviets use Mi-24s
41:12and fixed-wing attack aircraft
41:13in conjunction with
41:14rapidly moving ground forces.
41:17These troops are frequently equipped
41:19with light armor
41:19to break through
41:20the enemy's defenses.
41:21Mi-24s are also used in the anti-tank role.
41:39They are also often used
41:40to support river crossings
41:42and the seizure of strategic objectives.
41:45The use of attack helicopters
41:47coupled with an armored thrust
41:48can be devastating.
41:49to measure the strength
41:51of our bodies.
41:53And the expectant
41:53to fall off
41:54and the signs
41:56of our Mi-24s
41:57and the utmost
41:59thunderstorms
41:59to the enemy's
42:00envoys.
42:00The worst
42:01will be
42:01of the North
42:03or the North
42:04and the most
42:04will be
42:06of the North
42:07or the North
42:07and the most
42:08重要
42:08and the most
42:09of the North
42:11could be
42:11of the North
42:12and the most
42:12of the North
42:14and the most
42:15of the North
42:16and the West
42:17and the North
42:18and the North
42:18In the real war in Afghanistan, things were tougher,
42:36and convoys of trucks often brought back shot-down helicopters
42:40and even IL-28 jet bombers.
42:42Like the Mi-8, the Mi-24 gunship was deployed to Afghanistan in large numbers.
42:55One of the few anti-aircraft weapons available to the Mujahideen
42:59was the small stinger missile.
43:02To counter this weapon's infrared homing head,
43:04Soviet aircraft released bright flares, the standard infrared countermeasure.
43:08Here, an Mi-24 gunship flies over a stinger well within range,
43:15but the missile fails to lock on target.
43:23To help support the beleaguered Sandinista government in Nicaragua,
43:35the Soviet Union supplied 30 large helicopters in 1986,
43:40including six of these Hind D's.
43:45They are fully equipped with all the electronics needed
43:48for night and bad weather operations,
43:50and are the only machines of their type in the Western Hemisphere.
43:54They have been used mainly for the tactical support of troop-carrying helicopters,
43:58but can themselves carry troops in the rear cabin.
44:01Like all Soviet equipment,
44:05the Mi-24 is tough and designed to survive in harsh environments.
44:10Many Western observers have scorned Soviet design as being crude and backward,
44:15but each Soviet weapon is the end product
44:18of a very carefully considered design process.
44:21Tough, rugged aircraft,
44:23built to endure a variety of climates and combat situations.
44:27Coming up, break through the brush and go on the hunt.
44:50From chilly Alaska to a sweltering Africa,
44:53watch out, high action and adventure continues on Wild Discovery.
44:57Coming up only on the Discovery Channel.
44:59Explore your world.
45:23Explore your world.
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