Designed and first flown in the late 1960s by the Mil design bureau, the Mi-24 has taken many forms over the years since its introduction to Soviet service in 1972. Bizarrely, the Mi-24 or 'Hind' was not first used in combat by the Soviet Union on home soil, but was first deployed in support of Ethiopian troops in the 1977 Ogaden war. The gunship quickly racked up a great deal of admiration from within its country of origin, and an equal measure of surprise and fear in Western nations, who found themselves massively outdone by the Hind's capabilities, with the ageing 'Huey' seen as its closest equivalent in terms of combining troop transportation with heavy firepower. As a result of its impressive combat abilities, the Hind quickly attracted dozens of foreign investors, reaching an operational peak of around 50 international users. The Mi-24 remained popular in Soviet service, having had many upgrades and a remarkable career in the Afghanistan war between 1979 - 1989 for which it is well remembered (thanks for nothing Rambo III). As far as this SimplePlanes iteration is concerned, I'd like to start by apologising in advance for any tears shed whilst trying to land it without rolling over (there will be many tears). It should take off at around 70% throttle but BE WARNED...pitching forward too much at slow speed will lose a lot of height, as it also changes the pitch of 2 VTOL nozzles to give it a much higher overall speed. For cruising and increased range, turning off the RCS is a very good idea and cleverly controlling pitch, roll and throttle will take you far and wide (80% throttle is best for this). Credit goes to SpiritusRaptor for the Red Stars. As is often the case, "barrel rolls may cause death/suffering/pain/general sadness" but putting this aside, have some fun with it :D