Well, I decided on one to do! Click on it to view it at 100%. Thanks to philp for the suggestion!
In December 2005, Elbit was awarded a contract to upgrade Bulgaria’s Mi-24V attack helicopters to comply with NATO standards. After work had been started on all 12 Hind helicopters, Russia informed the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense that Elbit’s work was uncertified and that all of the aircraft would be hereby unsupported by the manufacturer. After cancellation of the upgrade contract, Bulgaria demanded damages equivalent to the full value of the aircraft, arguing that they were unusable now and therefore only able to be scrapped. Israel, negotiating on Elbit’s behalf, agreed to take over the contract from Bulgaria in addition to paying Bulgaria a reasonable sum for the Mi-24 helicopters.
Having just stood down the 161 “Cobras of the North” attack helicopter squadron and transferring its AH-1 Cobras to 160 Squadron, Israel decided to reform the unit in order to operate its “new” Mi-24 Hinds. Israel was confident of its ability to operate the Mi-24 without official support from Russia. Since Israel didn’t use Russian munitions, however, Elbit worked with Lockheed Martin to rearm the Mi-24s with the 20mm M197 and Hellfire missiles, in addition to their own Spike missiles. The upgraded Hinds proved to be popular with the IDF, which nicknamed the Mi-24 the “Tniniim” (Crocodile). The 161 Squadron was renamed “The Crocodile Squadron” to better fit its new mount, complete with a new logo to match the new name, but based on the logo of old. The open-mouthed black snake on a green background with its tail wrapped around a yellow lightning bolt was replaced by a crocodile in the same pose.
The Mi-24 was reliable, and Israel found little difficulty maintaining the new aircraft, especially after support for them was unofficially reinstated following Russian negotiations to acquire Israeli UAVs. Spare parts (including new engines) were merely sent through either Belorussian or Indian intermediaries to the satisfaction of both parties. The aircraft were painted in a scheme matching the AH-64D Saraf, but were also given a tan crocodile silhouette, much like the cobra silhouette on the AH-1s in service with the IDF. The yellow “V” recognition symbol was especially important for the new Mi-24s since its potential adversary Syria also operated the ever-popular Hind.
Cheers,
Logan
Poll
