Hind - Pilots Guide

Planning
Good preparation is essential to a successful mission, tovarich, and you should 
make full use of the planning phase to study enemy SAM and AA deployments. 
You also have complete access to satellite reconnaissance data, via the 3D view 
and you can even set up a virtual flyover of the battlefield to determine potential 
sources of danger. Remember, forewarned is forearmed!
Plot a course which uses the terrain to maximum advantage, and, as you play each 
scenario through, especially in campaign mode, youll begin to build up a picture 
of the war zone and enemy deployments. Try and learn some of the local 
landmarks, so that you can find your way home in the event of instrument failure. 
Remember: as the fortunes of war change, so will the pattern of troop movements 
and the front line, so dont forget to take this into account when planning 
subsequent missions.
Lastly, its always worth adjusting your final series of waypoints to plot the 
shortest route back home, as some missions can be very tight on fuel, especially if 
you peel off to deal with targets of opportunity. Autorotating down on an empty 
fuel tank deep behind enemy lines is hardly the best finale to an otherwise 
successful mission. Your superiors will take a dim view, and might even suggest a 
little holiday in the Siberian salt mines 

Flight manoeuvres
The Hind is primarily designed as a low level attack helicopter, and, ideally, 
youll spend most of the time cruising at about 30 metres with an average speed of 
300-340 kph. Spend some time at the Saratov base and work through all the 
training sections, until youre confident of the handling and limitations of your 
beast in whichever mode you intend to fly. When you move up to stable or 
realistic settings, a further period of retraining is advisable.
Learn to rapidly adjust your height using only the collective and perfect the 
forward and reverse hover. Helicopter speed is a crucial factor in combat, and the 
method of flare braking is critical if you dont want to overfly targets. At lower 
speeds, your tail rotors really come into their own and can be used to spin around 
rapidly to launch devastating rocket and missile salvos. Make sure youre familiar 
and proficient at the various bomb delivery techniques (level, dive and toss 
bombing) before heading out onto the battlefield.

On the offensive
On every mission, prioritise targets and always try and take out air defences, SAM 
missile launchers and AAA in that order, as these three usually pose the greatest 
threat. Once youve unravelled the enemys defences, you can safely survey the 
rest of the targets and swoop in to mop them up at your leisure.
Its very easy to get side-tracked during a mission, but dont waste time by peeling 
off to attack every tank and AAA formation you encounter on the way; time, fuel 
and ammunition are far too precious. Instead, concentrate on hitting your main 
target first (which is, after all, why youre there) and then you can take on other 
targets of opportunity to increase your mission performance, on the way back.

Air to ground techniques
Its very tempting once youve got the helicopter stable and in level flight to go 
hell for leather in a straight line, blasting away at all comers. A word of caution: 
this is likely to lead to disaster - youll only end up becoming a sitting and highly 
visible target. Once youre actually in a combat situation, start making distinctive 
jinking manoeuvres, adjusting your course every couple of seconds to throw off 
any potential enemy missile locks, and even when youre locked onto a target 
itself, slide left and right to avoid any return fire before delivering your payload. 
Again, terrain can be used to your advantage: although you may not equipped 
with the Apaches mast scope, theres nothing to stop you from rising above the 
crest of a hill to deliver death from above with the best of them.
Targets such as tank and truck columns tend to move along roads, and if you 
orientate yourself with the roads heading, a short, sustained burst of rockets will 
usually follow and catch the whole group. When attacking airfields, its 
sometimes an idea to burst through the missile defences and catch enemy 
helicopters and planes on the runway, before they have a chance to take off. When 
deploying special forces, or evacuating troops, make sure the surrounding area is 
completely clear of enemy choppers and aircraft, as youre extremely vulnerable 
to attack on the deck. Providing youre not carrying any cargo or freight, you can 
land to reload any weapons which have become exhausted, but again pick your 
landing site carefully as the same strictures apply. Finally, if anyone asks you how 
you can gun down innocent civilians, just say Easy, youve just got to lead them 
a bit more.

Air to air combat
This is the one area where altitude can be a positive advantage, so when you spot 
an enemy chopper you should aim to gain height and lock and launch your Aphids 
at the earliest opportunity. However, beware of gaining too much altitude (150m 
and above), as youll become easy prey to the fixed-wing aircraft which patrol 
there. 
If you fail with a missile strike, try to get behind enemy helicopters and use your 
cannon to renew hostilities. The Yak-8 is a solid and dependable back-up in air-
to-air combat, and its turret mounting is ideal for following and engaging enemy 
choppers.

Weapon selection
Weapon selection is usually a case of horses for courses and choosing the payload 
which will best allow you to complete the mission. Pay particular attention to your 
primary targets and the relevant weapon load needed to ensure their destruction. 
For example, general purpose bombs will devastate large areas such as camps and 
headquarters, while if youre going tank busting, youll probably load rocket 
heavy. A careful study of mission briefings and intelligence data will be crucial in 
determining your payload, but if in doubt, a good general purpose mix covering 
most options might consist of: wingtip mounted Aphids. Spiral AGMs and two 
S5 pods with backup from the Yak 8 turretgun.

Countermeasures and other Hind systems
The Hinds flare and chaff dispensers are usually best left on automatic settings, 
unless you can think of a really compelling reason to change them, but your threat 
warning indicator is probably the most useful piece of kit on your entire 
instrumentation board, allowing you to identify and respond to enemy threats. Use 
it to analyse enemy targets and keep an eye out for radar or active locks - if you 
can catch them early enough, some sharp manoeuvring will usually spoil their 
aim. If you are about to receive incoming missiles, begin a series of sharp, right 
angle manoeuvres, while deploying chaff and flares and that should hopefully 
throw them off the scent. The FLIR system is invaluable for night flying, but if 
your mission begins at dusk or dawn, youre probably better advised to switch to 
the LLTV system. 

Wingmen and formation flying
No matter where you fly, youll usually be accompanied by at least one other 
Hind, so its important to understand group formations and tactics. Theres 
definitely strength in numbers, so when you take off, try to match speeds with 
your wingmen (typically 300 kph) and fly in formation to your target. Your 
combined force will be able to deal with any threats en route more effectively than 
a single helicopter, and the other Hinds will take some of the heat off you by 
presenting multiple targets to the enemy.
When you arrive at your target, use the command options to single out targets for 
your wingmen and again, youll discover that concerted attacks will pay the most 
dividends  No matter how strong the targets defences, an entire flight of Hinds 
attacking in concert is an extremely formidable proposition indeed.

Theatres of war
Know your enemy is never a bad maxim, tovarich, and you should pay close 
attention to enemy capabilities and their various strengths and weakness. Its 
extremely worthwhile taking a little time to study the recognition charts, as this 
can pay dividends when assessing the various threats offered to your chopper. 
However, listed below for your delectation are the principle adversaries and 
weapons youll face in each campaign. 

Kazakstan
The revolt in Kazakstan is an intriguing little scenario, because basically youre 
fighting a mirror image. Rebel Hips and Hind Es provide the helicopter challenge, 
while MiG 29s and 27s cruise the battlefield, seemingly at will. Expect to 
encounter advanced SA8 and SA9 SAM defences around key locations, while 
AAA comes in the form of  the ZSU-23 Shilka. Shoulder mounted SA7s can 
prove more than a minor irritation 

Korea 
In Korea youre up against the cream of decadent western technology loaned to 
the enemy lackeys by their debauched imperialist masters. In the air, youll face 
your ultimate adversary, the Apache Longbow, but dont underestimate the 
standard Apache or Blackhawk either, both of whom are more than worthy 
opponents. The F-15s, F-16s and F-18s which are used in a close support role are 
particularly deadly, and advanced AA missiles like the Patriot and Stinger can 
take a heavy toll. 

Afghanistan
In spite of a notable lack of modern military equipment and air support, the 
Mujaheddin are an implacable enemy and can make any battle zone feel 
extremely warm. Sheer weight of numbers along with difficult and restrictive 
terrain can turn the mountain valleys into a deadly ambush points. Shoulder 
mounted SA7s and even the humble AK47 have a habit of ruining your day. Not 
to mention your shirt.

Pakistan
War is a dirty business, and just as the imperialists war in Vietnam spilled over 
into Cambodia, sometimes the unique conditions of the Afghan conflict mean 
youre going to have to violate Pakistani airspace in a bid to counter the 
insurgents. Although Pakistani forces are perhaps not quite as well equipped as 
the Koreans, caution is nevertheless advised, as F-16s and Supercobras patrol the 
air, while Rapier and Stinger AA systems stalk the ground. 
