That time the US Army stole a Soviet helicopter for the CIA

Logan Nye
Updated onJan 31, 2023 6:15 PM PST
1 minute read
helicopter

The Mi-25 was the export version of the Soviet premiere attack and troop transport helicopter, the Mi-24. The Mi-24 was a game-changing Soviet helicopter that could drop a special forces squad in contested territory and then provide air support to the operation. It's exact makeup and technical specs were highly guarded by the Russian government.

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But, in spite of the secrecy, at dawn on June 12, 1987 American Chinook helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment -- The Nightstalkers -- landed at an airfield in Chad. There a crew of special operators strapped a Soviet-made, Libyan-owned Mi-25 Attack helicopter to the bottom of one of the Chinooks, and flew it back to the U.S.

See the full story at Tactical Air Network.

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