Hungary withdraws Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters
In early February 2026, the Magyar Légierő (ML, Hungarian Air Force) officially withdrew the Mi-24P and Mi-24V Hind attack helicopters from operational service. In late October 2025, the last Mi-24s carried out their final live-fire exercises, marking the end of active flying for the type.
Having served for almost 50 years, the Hind was more than just a helicopter; it formed the backbone of Hungary’s rotary-wing combat capability for nearly half a century. As the country’s primary attack helicopter, it survived regime change, NATO accession, and multiple modernisation efforts, becoming one of the longest-serving combat aircraft types in Hungarian history.
The first Mi-24D Hind-D attack helicopters arrived in Hungary in 1978 as part of Warsaw Pact modernisation. They entered service with the Hungarian Air Force shortly thereafter. Over the following decades, Hungary operated several Mi-24 variants.
Most of the Mi-24D helicopters were withdrawn from active use in the early 1990s. In 1995, Hungary purchased around 20 former German Mi-24s (Mi-24D and Mi-24P variants). These aircraft supplemented the fleet, although many were used for spare parts or placed in storage rather than flown extensively.
In the late 1990s, significant force reductions left only 12 to 20 aircraft operational. Between 2010 and 2016, almost all Mi-24s were grounded. The remaining aircraft were overhauled in 2017-2018. In late 2017, eight Mi-24P and Mi-24V helicopters were sent to the 419th Aircraft Repair Plant in Russia. The overhaul was completed in 2018, and the helicopters returned to Hungary, resuming flying between late 2018 and 2019. The work restored full airworthiness and extended their service life, allowing operations to continue until their retirement in 2025.
The 86th Szolnok Helicopter Regiment introduced the Mi-24 in 1978 and served as the primary combat helicopter unit of the Hungarian Air Force during the Cold War. Following post-1990 restructuring, the unit was redesignated as the 86th Helicopter Base and continued Mi-24 operations through the 1990s and 2000s. In 2004, seventeen Mi-24D/V/P moved to Szolnok air base after the closure of the Szentkirályszabadja air base.
Under the modern Magyar Honvédség, it became the 86th Szolnok Helicopter Base (MH Kiss József 86. Helikopterdandár). The subunit operating the Mi-24P and Mi-24V was the Phoenix Attack Helicopter Battalion (Phoenix Harcihelikopter Zászlóalj).
Credit photo: René Sleegers