Video shows Russian Mi-35 gunship helicopters ultra-low altitude flying over Black Sea beaches

Russian attack helicopter pilots must be used to fly well below treetop altitude.

The opening phase of the recent invasion of Crimea saw Russian gunships cross the Strait of Kerch at very low altitude. In the days that followed the first incursion inside the Ukrainian airspace, the Mi-35s were dispatched at low level over the roofs of Sevastopol in Crimea to perform overwatch patrol (and show of force).

Needless to say, ultra-low level flying is part of the daily training of Russian Mi-35M Hind pilots that train for future aerial assaults.

Reportedly filmed at Anapa, Krasnodar, Russia, the following interesting footage shows two Mi-35s flying at low level over the beaches of the northern Black Sea.

H/T to Matt Fanning for the heads-up.

 

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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.