Posted on 05/15/2010 6:42:25 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Kabul, Afghanistan, May 15, 2010--U.S. Air Force Major Caleb Nimmo is the first American Mi-35 HIND attack helicopter pilot to fly in combat. He is deployed to Afghanistan advising the Afghan National Army Air Corps’ rotary wing squadron as part of the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, Combined Air Power Transition Force.
The 377th Rotary Wing Squadron of the Kabul Air Wing is advised by CAPTF’s coalition partners from the Czech Republic, Hungary and the U.S. The squadron flies the Russian made Mi-35 attack helicopter and the Mi-17 transport helicopter.
Maj. Nimmo received his Mi-35 training from a civilian contractor in the United States. The training consisted of 40 hours of basic familiarization: maneuvers, emergency procedures-engine fires, failures and autorotation. He also received instrument training and mission specific escort and weapons training. He followed that up with ten hours of military training with the Czech Republic in close air support, escort, formation with reference to high density altitude and also mentor training.
Maj. Nimmo began flying in 2000. In the last ten years, he has flown Huey helicopters in Minot , N.D., T-6 trainers as an instructor pilot for Undergraduate Pilot Training at Moody AFB, Ga., Huey gunships with the Marine Corps in HML/A-167 light attack squadron and the MV-22 with the Marine Corps in VMMT-204 in Jacksonville, N.C.
The Mi-24 is the Russian HIND attack helicopter. The Mi-35 is the export version and all controls are in English. The pilots sit in line as opposed to the traditional side by side cockpit. The front seat is for shooting the 12.7mm turret and deploying anti-tank guided weapons. When in the shooting mode, the flight controls for the gunner disengage and the pilot in the rear is in control of flying the aircraft and can also employ rockets with other fixed-forward firing
(Excerpt) Read more at ntm-a.com ...
What do you want to bet that brings back some memories of Afghans when his bird comes over a ridgetop lol.
That’s just too weird for words.
it is, ain’t it?
Are there US markings on it?
Probably Afghani....
"He is deployed to Afghanistan advising the Afghan National Army Air Corps’ rotary wing squadron...."
Cool article. I am heading there in three weeks to work on the 35.
The whole Afghan war has been too weird for words:
The opening included B-52’s flying support missions for a column of T-55 tanks. Not to mention the most technologically advanced soldiers in the world (some of our special-forces) riding into battle on horses.
I can imagine some the special forces guys at the VFW hall in thirty years or so: “No, really. . . I really did ride in the last American cavalry charge!”
And now this. . .
I wonder if he carries some sort of AK variant (Potentially AKS-74u) as his PDW.
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