Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/773724
spider with easily noticeable cross on its abdomen. And thus, after years when both Squadrons were formed into one, its badge has scorpion-cross spider. Of course, there is a background with the scorpion theme which is a history of a particular show group that in the 1990s and at the beginning of 2000 was one of the symbols of country's airshows. "Air Ballet" of four Mi-24 represented by Scorpion group is one of the parts of Polish aviation history which is missed the most. For more than 35 years of continuous service, the Polish Mi-24 haven't received any serious modernization or upgrade. Project "Pluszcz" (Polish name for white- throated dipper, Cinclus cinclus) was fiasco. It was meant to be a common project with Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary and was dedicated for all the Polish Hind (later on it was reduced just to "W" versions). After all, helicopter were, let's call it straight, refitted which was done because of their deployment to Polish Military Contingent in Iraq. "Deployment" helicopters were equipped with additional radios allowing communication with soldiers on the groud, Garmin GPS receiver and unified self-defence system L-166V-11E Ispanka Microwave Pulse Infra-red Jammer (NATO code "Hot Brick") plus ASO-2V chaff/flare dispenser. Between 4th to 9th tour of Iraqi deployment, crews from both 49.PSB and 56.PSB were deployed to the combat zone but only Mil Mi-24D Hinds were in use. The total number of Polish attack helicopters was twelve - three of them were cannibalized and were used as a source of the parts for other helicopters. And they were flying only on version "D" machines (12 in total from which 3 were cannibalized and left there). That period was also a beginning of "forced mixing" of helicopters between both units. Up to this day, both use D and W versions of Mi-24. Deployment of attack helicopters to Afghanistan forced another hasty upgrade – this time only "W" version were deployed to Hindukush because they were developed for high altitude operations thus still had problems with that (mostly lack of power so they were taking off like standard planes). Mi-24D helicopters had to carry out training back in the Poland so they needed some upgrade too. This modernization covered adaptation of the cabin to use PNL-3 NVG, mounting TACAN system receivers, VOR, ILS, replacing Ispanka with KT-1AW Adros IRCM AVIATION