Mission in Sierra-Leone Accomplished

"Vzlyot" No. 10/2005 / Eugene Erohin /

On September 26 at the 344-th Center of Military Application and Training of Russian Army Aviation Flying Crews in the city of Torzhok, Tverskaya Region, a ceremony on awarding Mi-24P helicopter crews which recently returned from Sierra-Leone, was held. Withdrawal of Russian Aviation Groups which accomplished, according to the UN Security Council Resolution dated 13 June 2005, their mission in this African country, took place within the period 16 - 25 of September this year.

Four Mi-24P helicopters (tail numbers UN 115, UN 116, UN 117 and UN 118) and several crews of the 344-th Center of Military Application (CMA) were, in turns, in Sierra-Leone with a UN peacemaking mission within five years (our magazine has already informed about this – see “Vzlyot” No. 3/2005, page 19). About 80 persons in all took part in this mission; the total flight hours of the Russian Aviation Group comprised approximately 9 thousand. Russian helicopter pilots carried out tasks on escorting columns and controlling the terrain bordering to Freetown. Besides four Mi-24P helicopters of the 344-th CMA several Mi-26 heavy-lift transport helicopters of UTair Company participated in the UN mission on the Russian side. Moreover, four Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopters were there. During their stay in Sierra-Leone the pilots from Torzhok gained substantial experience in operating military equipment in adverse climatic conditions, including nighttime. At the press conference, organized on the occasion of Russian Aviation Group’s return from Sierra-Leone, and held at the 344-th CMA, Vladimir Mikhailov – Commander-in-Chief of the Russian AF, and Colonel Alexander Borisov – Commander of the Russian Aviation Group in Sierra-Leone, informed that during the whole period of stay in Africa there were no serious damages and malfunctions of the equipment, moreover, the Russian helicopters demonstrated high reliability operating without special modifications in conditions of high air temperature and humidity (94-98%) being intensively used with short time intervals (up to 6.5 hours per day, including in highlands at altitudes up to 1950 m. General Mikhailov underlined as well that the experience gained in Sierra-Leone, will be of use for training the Center’s pilots, and the demonstrated reliability of the Mi-24s will raise interest of potential foreign customers in Russian equipment.

Eugene Erohin