Syrian air war escalates: the Mil Mi-24 Hind gunship makes its debut against rebel forces

Respectively taken on Jun. 10 at Rastan and on Jun. 11 at the Idlib village of Farkia, the following videos mark the first involvement of Syrian Mil Mi-24 Hind-D (Mi-25) gunship helicopters in Syria.

Rastan:

Farkia:

Much more maneuverable and powerful than the Mi-8/17 Hip spotted so far, the Mi-25 is an attack helicopter (equipped with a nose machine gun capable to carry rockets, bombs and missiles) that can also perform troops transportation.

Most probably, the use of this kind of helicopter testifies the regime’s growing concerns for the successes obtained by the rebels in the last periods.

About David Cenciotti
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.