It didn't give us much of a problem the first day, since our multispectral flares seemed to work. But it seems as though they can adjust the seeker to filter out our new flares. Yesterday was a bad day. We've been taking a lot more hits to Stingers since the first day.
I can't recommend much new on this beyond what you should already know. Don't waste your Hot Brick.[45]
Turn it on when you're in the battle area, not too soon before. A lot of helicopters have been keeping them on, and they've been wearing out fast. Then when you need them, they're worn out. Use your flares only in the combat areas. Don't go wasting them on the approach. Don't shoot them off every time you see a flash on the ground. This is not peacetime. There's going to be a lot of activity under you, and a lot of weapons going off. Not every flash is a Stinger!
"Finally, keep your eyes open for enemy helicopters. Yesterday one of our squadrons lost almost an entire flight of helicopters to German PAH-1 helicopters. They are very small and hard to see. They popped up and fired antitank missiles at the flight, and hit three helicopters. I know all you hotshots have been waiting to gun down enemy helicopters with your cannon. But remember, what you don't see can kill you. Those lousy little PAH-1s don't have a gun, but their missiles can be deadly."
The crowd of pilots rustled a bit as the maps were passed out. But they listened intently to Kurasov. Their lives depended on his advice. Mikhail Reiter from the 3d Flight raised his hand.
"Comrade Captain, we've heard there are American Apaches in our sector."
"That's correct, Lieutenant. Last night, one of our tank units was hit by an Apache unit.[46]
I don't know if you will encounter them today. The enemy seems to be committing them mainly at night. These things are much worse than the PAH-1s. They're a lot more like our new Mi-28s. They have a good cannon. But at night, they have radar and FLIR sights, and operate as easily as in the day. And their missiles are a lot worse. The Hellfire is faster than the TOWs and HOTs. If your laser warning receivers go off, take evasive action. The Americans have been using Hellfire air to air. They also have Stinger air to air. Don't mix it up with these people unless you have to. You are out there to support our riflemen.
You're not out there to become 'helicopter Kozhedubs.'[47]
Look, I have to leave in five minutes for the staging area in Germany. Captain Panchev from the front's command group will stay here and answer any more questions. Good luck, chums!"
The pilots were sorry to see Kurasov go. He was a real helicopter pilot. Panchev was just a staff officer twit with no flying experience in attack helicopters. He was just a lousy truck driver, hauling riflemen around in Mi-17s (an improved version of the Mi-8). He parroted the official policy lines, which were boring and possibly dangerous in the circumstances. Kurasov had the balls to buck official policy and express his opinions about useful new tactics and maneuvers.
After twenty minutes of milling around, Dmitri Leonov collected the other three pilots from his flight and left for the field to prepare the helicopters. The 2d Flight had consisted of four Mi-24 helicopters, at least until they lost number 34 yesterday. Yevgeny Kunayev was the pilot of number 34 and was ferrying the aircraft forward to Chaloupky when he ran into the power line. The line caught on the rotor head assembly, and the helicopter slammed into the ground. Fortunately, they were flying slowly, and Kunayev and his weapons officer got out of the wreck. Kunayev was the least experienced pilot in the flight, a pilot third class. Leonov's wingman, Mikhail Popov, was a pilot first class, as was the other pair leader, Pavel Demichev. Leonov himself had won the distinction of "sniper" pilot due to his performance.
The flight operated in two pairs, and tactics stressed that the wingmen follow the maneuvers of the leaders. Leonov led the first pair in number 31, with his wingman, Popov, in number 32. The second pair leader, Demichev, in number 33 was saddled with the hapless Kunayev in number 34. However, with number 34 now a heap of tangled wreckage in a forest clearing east of Klatovy, Kunayev would be getting a new helicopter. As the four pilots walked out to the flight line, they could see Kunayev's machine already sitting there. It stood out from the other three Mi-24s because of its different paint scheme. The three helicopters were finished in a pale sand color with camouflage patches of dark green. The new helicopter, number 57, was painted in the alternative scheme of gray and green. It was an older Mi-24V, fitted with a chin machine gun instead of a side-mounted twin 30mm cannon.
The pilots walked to their helicopters to look over the arming and fueling process. Each helicopter had six hardpoints on its stub winglets. The four inner pylons were for rocket pods, either the older S-5 57mm rockets, or the larger S-8 80mm rockets. For this mission, the larger rockets were fitted. On the outboard pylons were pairs of Drakon (Dragon) radio-guided antitank missiles. There were four per helicopter. The three original helicopters, all Mi-24Ms, had two 30mm cannons stacked one on top of the other on the right side of the fuselage. These were more powerful than the 12.7mm rotary cannon on number 57, but the whole helicopter had to be aimed to fire the guns. The older 12.7mm turret could be traversed by the front gunner, and so was a bit more precise and agile.
The seating arrangement in the Mi-24 was in tandem style. The weapons operator sat in the front cockpit, behind a panel of armored glass. Behind him, and slightly above, sat the pilot. The whole cockpit was enclosed in an armored titanium tub that would protect the crew from most small arms fire. There was a cargo compartment behind the cockpit. It was large enough to accommodate eight riflemen, but usually was used to transport additional ammunition and a flight technician. For short-range missions, the helicopter could land behind friendly lines, rearm, and carry out an additional attack. For the current mission, this was impractical due to the ranges involved. The objectives were about twenty-five kilometers from the forward airstrip, so the added weight of another crewman and stores would reduce the range and loiter time of the helicopter. It would be better to have a bit of added fuel in case the helicopters had to stay in the area, providing gunfire support for the assault group.
Leonov was not keen on the idea of having to wait until early afternoon before moving forward to the staging area. There would be little to do, since inspection of the aircraft would take only an hour or so. He was anxious to get into action and get it over with. At times, the waiting seemed worse than going into battle. The long interlude between the briefing and the attack was due to the time required to prepare the transport helicopters and assault teams. The briefings for the assault group would be considerably more complicated. The most time-consuming missions involved regular motor rifle troops. Then the procedure had to include special training on debarking off the helicopter, proper loading and unloading procedures, and a few drills. At least today, the attack would involve regular air assault troops who were already familiar with helicopters.
He found his gunner at helicopter number 31. Warrant Officer Aleksander "Sasha" Bershko was sitting in the front cockpit, fiddling with the main gun sight. Leonov signaled to him, and they got into the rear cargo compartment with the new maps to review the mission.
At about 0800, the air raid siren blared out. So far, the field had been lucky. The Soviets had dispersed their aviation units to small civil airstrips, such as Chaloupky, to make it more difficult for NATO to eliminate key airfields. But now it was going to be their turn. Leonov and Bershko jumped out of the rear cargo compartment. Leonov looked around to see where the other crews from his flight were located. He signaled them to evacuate the runway area. The 2d Flight was not on the actual runway, but in a flat grassy clearing at the outskirts of the airstrip. The main runway was occupied by an assault regiment of Su-25K ground attack aircraft.[48]
45
"Hot Brick" is the slang expression for infrared (IR) jammers using modulated IR sources. The main tactical problem with many of these systems is that the IR lamp that provides the heat source has a short operating life. The Hot Brick cannot be used continuously or the lamp will wear out, so usually it is only used in high-risk areas or when a missile launch has been seen.
46
The AH-64 Apache is the U.S. Army's current attack helicopter. It is armed with laser-guided Hellfire antitank missiles, and newer versions will carry a millimeter wave-guided Hellfire. The Apache is superior to the Mi-24 in most respects, and comparable to the new Soviet Mi-28 Havoc.
47
Ivan N. Kozhedub was the top-scoring Soviet fighter ace of World War II, with sixty-two aircraft claimed (including one jet fighter).
48
The Sukhoi Su-25K, called Frogfoot in NATO, is a specialized ground-attack aircraft, similar to the American A-10 Warthog. Its Soviet nickname is "Grach," a type of bird.