- Have you ever heard about the time the U.S. stole
a Soviet helicopter in the 80s?
It's true, and they totally got away with it.
Now, at best, the relationship between the United States
and Russia can be described as frenemies.
But, if you think it's awkward today,
trust me, it was much worse during the Cold War
when the threat of nuclear annihilation loomed overhead.
So, both countries continually try to one-up each other
with regards to weapons and military capabilities,
but in order to do that, they have to know
what the other team is working with,
so when the Soviet Union released
the then-unparalleled Mi-24 Hind helicopter
to the battlefield in the 70s,
the CIA couldn't wait to get their hands on one,
which is why the legendary Army Night Stalkers
decided to straight up steal one.
They stole a helicopter, yeah.
Today we just steal secrets.
And speaking of stealing secrets,
let's protect your secrets.
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Okay, Russia.
The Hind was developed to be a heavily-armed attack gunship
that could also carry up to eight fully-armed operators
in an albeit cramped bay behind the cockpit.
It had the ability to deliver specops teams
to the battlefield and remain in the AOR,
that's area of responsibility for all my civies,
for air support or gunship operations.
In contrast, the U.S.'s UH-1 Huey
was moderately armed at best,
serving as a battlefield transport vehicle
rather than playing an operational role.
Now the Hind quickly proved itself
against mujaheddin fighters
in the Soviet's controversial Afghanistan conflict,
which prompted the question of whether the U.S.
should design an equivalent.
Western intelligence wanted a closer look, and in 1987,
they saw an opportunity when they discovered
a Libyan Mi-25, the export variant of the Mi-24,
that was left behind in Chadian territory
after Chadian troops expelled Libyan forces
from their borders.
It was just sitting there ripe for the takin'.
Now, at the time, Libyan-backed rebels,
armed with Soviet-supplied weapons,
were attempting to usurp the Chadian government,
but they were forced to retreat
leaving behind a considerable amount of military hardware,
including an abandoned Hind-D on an old airfield ramp.
The race to procure the airship
before the Libyans could recover it began.
The CIA-led operation would be named Mount Hope,
and the first order of business was to recruit
the right aviators for the job.
Enter the 160th Special Operations Aviation Group,
home of the Night Stalkers.
Now, if you're not familiar,
the Night Stalkers are known for their proficiency
in nighttime operations in all environments,
anywhere in the world.
They're a special operations force
that specializes in helicopter aviation support,
and they're good.
Training began in the dry deserts of New Mexico
where CH-47 Chinooks were modified
to bear the weight of the Hind-D,
which was estimated at 17 thousand to 18 thousand pounds.
Teams began to practice in low light or dark conditions,
flying in, strapping blivets of 17 thousand pounds
of water to the underside of the bird
and egressing to a simulated Forward Support Base.
The first test went smoothly
so the team ran another practice op,
this time strapping an actual airframe to the Chinook.
Again, the Night Stalkers pulled it off.
The CIA was satisfied and it was time for the real thing.
Two Chinooks were loaded aboard a C-5 Galaxy.
By the way, I always love seeing what the C-5 can carry.
Firetrucks, A-10s, it doesn't matter.
We actually made a video about it.
I'll put the link in the description below.
And they were transported to Chad by way of Germany
while the Army sent an advanced echelon scouting
and reconnaissance team to monitor the Hind
and keep an eye out for enemy forces,
who were still very much active in the area.
Now, a firefight with Libya had the potential to spark
an international incident and call attention
to the fact that the United States was actively trying
to remove Soviet weaponry from the desert.
The operation needed to remain a secret at all costs.
On June 11, 1988, the Night Stalkers flew
over 500 nautical miles under the cover of darkness,
strapping the Hind to their Chinook near daybreak.
Chalk 1, an advance team, cleared the location
and quickly rigged the Hind for extraction,
while the Chalk 2 Chinook hovered close above
as the team below sling-loaded the Hind to their bird.
They didn't just get in there and fly the Hind out,
they strapped their helicopter to a helicopter,
and that's how they left.
Chalk 2 departed for the FSB,
and Chalk 1 got the hell out of Dodge.
And, the Libyans were completely clueless
about the entire operation.
Chalk 2 stopped twice for refuel,
nearly made it home without incident
until an unanticipated three thousand foot sandstorm struck.
Hauling ass through near-zero visibility,
Chalk 2 raced just ahead of the storm
and managed to successfully land at their base
just in time to wait out the storm in their bird
before loading their new prize into the Galaxy
and returning to U.S. soil.
Operation Mount Hope was a complete success.
The Mi-24 Hind was in a class all on its own.
Western intel had never seen anything like it.
The U.S. explored a similar concept
but ultimately went with the UH-60 Black Hawk,
and later, the AH-64 Apache, but until then,
the Hind was king.
So, leave us a comment, let us know what you think
of our new video format.
We hung that camo netting ourselves.
Well, not me, other people did, Augie did it,
and Meghan, Augie and Meghan hung it, I just came in,
and I just did my hair.