Does anyone know if Russian helos have any kind of autopilot ability? It’s often difficult just to hover without pilot assistance. Russian aircraft often make less use of electronics for flight, preferring manual controls.
Excellent point. I wouldnt know. But i would think auto pilot for a helo would not be too fificult once off the ground and out of a hover.
Possibility, it was a dead pilot with the controls stuck in one position, or aircraft damage making the controls inoperable.
I was thinking the same. LAND IT. But he may have been incapacitated, or the controls totally messed up. Or maybe he was taught by other Russians…
I was in a helo crash my second tour in Afghanistan. Not a huge fire, but lots of smoke, sparks and lubricants spurting all around. The pilot immediately took us to the ground in a rather harsh landing. I shudder to think what would have happened had he continued to try flying. As it was, several of us got banged up really good. Ended my military career after 12 years. Got out alive, that’s what counts.
“Any landing you walk away from…”
Limp away would be ‘adequate’ I suppose.
Had his chance. Muffed it.
Some helicopters have autopilot, but I doubt a military helicopter on a mission would be on autopilot – if it had one.
Helicopters are inherently unstable, and require constant, minute control inputs in order to fly. If the pilot(s) were dead, they would not be making these control inputs and the aircraft would fall out of the sky in seconds. That the aircraft was under control for a considerable amount of time indicates that the controls were operable – at lease long enough for the pilot to set it down.
Some helicopters have autopilot, but I doubt a military helicopter on a mission would be on autopilot – if it had one.
I can understand that. But it’s stupid.
Russia is now reported to be trying to recruit US trained Afghan commandos. These are men who fled from Afghanistan to Iran when US forces withdrew and the Taliban took over again.
A few months ago, there was all that talk of Russia recruiting thousands of Syrian mercenaries to fight in Ukraine. I don’t recall seeing any evidence that any actually made it there.
Well, they already have lots of experience with running away from the front lines, so they should fit right in with the Russian troops.
I’m guessing they asked for hard currency in advance, and when that wasn’t forthcoming, neither were they.
After having been shafted by one major power I’m not sure those Afghans will be eager to deal with another. Although the Russians might want to know more about their training.
Why would Afghans assist Russia? The Soviets tried to do to Afghanistan what the Russians are doing to Ukraine.
To fight Nazi’s of course. Or, they are (semi-) trained soldiers with no home, so are mercenaries who are probably relatively cheap.
They were kinda screwed over by the West, so they might be somewhat amenable to Russia’s anti-Western-Hegemony narrative.
I’ve a hunch that the pilot of that helicopter died in the initial strike. Certainly, he was dead once the cabin was nothing but a fireball, but the helicopter just kept on flying for a while after that before the crash.
As for the possibility of a competent general taking over, at this point, the only competent move would be “Let’s withdraw for about five years and actually prepare for this war, before starting it again”. Ain’t gonna happen.
They were kind of scewed over by the Soviets, in a rather more spectacular way. I would think they would remember.
That was 40 years ago. Most of these guys weren’t born yet.
Yeah. Most Southern states in the US haven’t forgotten the Civil War, and that was 150 years ago.
The Afghans remember.
Kind of a Egg McDonald thing then?
Purged.
Oh they most definitely did. Especially after Stalins genocide. But the Nazis stupidly decided to treat the Ukrainians as conquered rather than liberated.
By mines? Maybe not.
This was my assumption as well, and I think the most reasonable one.