At the beginning of February 2026, the Hungarian Air Force (Magyar Légierő) officially removed from operational service the Mil Mi-24 combat helicopters in the Mi-24P and Mi-24V versions.
The last live-fire training with the model took place at the end of October 2025, marking the end of the aerial activity of the iconic “Hind”.
Over nearly five decades of service, the Mi-24 was much more than an attack helicopter: it served as the backbone of Hungary’s rotational combat capability. During its years of operation, the vehicle went through the transition from the Warsaw Pact to NATO membership, as well as several modernization processes, and became one of the oldest combat aircraft in the military history of Hungary.
The most powerful warship in the world is on its way to Iran
Natilus presents the renewed Horizon Evo for up to 250 passengers
Arrival during the Cold War
The first Mi-24D helicopters arrived in Hungary in 1978, as part of the modernization process of the Warsaw Pact forces. They were quickly integrated into the Air Force and became the country’s main attack platform.
Over the years, additional versions have been recorded. Most of the Mi-24D helicopters were taken out of active service in the early 1990s. In 1995, Budapest purchased about 20 additional helicopters from Germany – Mi-24D and Mi-24P models. Some were used for spare parts or stored, and only a small part remained operational.
Fleet reduction and recent modernization
At the end of the 1990s, structural cuts significantly reduced the number of operational helicopters, which remained between 12 and 20 units serviceable for flight. Between 2010 and 2016, almost all Mi-24 helicopters were temporarily disabled.
The extension of the service life was made possible thanks to a comprehensive renovation program carried out between 2017 and 2018. At the end of 2017, eight Mi-24P and Mi-24V helicopters were sent to the 419th Air Repair Plant in Russia for a complete overhaul. The helicopters returned to Hungary in 2018 and resumed their operations between the end of 2018 and 2019, with renewed airworthiness and extension of service life until 2025.
Historical base in Solnuk
The Mi-24 first entered service with the 86th Helicopter Regiment in Solnuk, a unit that played a key role as Hungary’s main combat helicopter force during the Cold War.
After a post-1990 reorganization, the unit was redesignated as the 86th Helicopter Base and continued to operate the Mi-24 in the following decades. In 2004, 17 Mi-24D/V/P helicopters were transferred to the Solnuk Air Base after the closure of the base in Saint Kiralisvadia.
within the framework of theHungarian Defense Forces Today, the unit is called the 86th Helicopter Brigade after Kiss József (MH Kiss József 86. Helikopterdandár). The sub-unit responsible for the Mi-24P and Mi-24V models was the Phoenix Attack Helicopter Battalion.
With the final decommissioning of the “Hind”, a significant chapter in the history of Hungary’s military aviation was signed – a step that symbolizes a transition to a new phase in the modernization of the country’s combat helicopter fleet.
Source and photos: Magyar Légierő | Instagram @magyar_honvedseg | Scramble.nl. This content is generated with the help of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the editorial team.
