Chapter 17

When searching for the target, the airspace in front should be divided into more than a dozen sections, and each one should be searched in sequence to avoid missing anything. This is a necessary training for pilots.

The weapon operator in the front was concentrating on searching the forest, but he was full of complaints in his heart. It was simply an impossible task to find the truck in the dense trees!

He might as well launch the rockets first. Although he hadn't informed the pilot in the rear cabin, he could just pretend it was an accidental discharge.

Thinking this, the weapon operator finally couldn't resist. The rocket launcher had already been powered up and the safety removed. Now, he just needed to press the button in his hand.

His palm was a bit sweaty. The weapon operator focused, just about to press the button, when he heard a storm of sounds from below.

Then, he heard the clanging sounds from beneath the cabin. Amidst the roar of the engine, this sound seemed particularly pleasant.

On both sides, they could feel bullets whizzing by.

Damn, there's an ambush below!

Originally, both of them thought that even if the people in the truck entered the forest, they would choose to run away immediately. They didn't expect these people to come here and ambush them!

The pilot in the rear cabin seemed accustomed to fleeing. At this moment, if he lowered the nose of the helicopter, the side rocket launchers and the machine gun on the nose could fire at the area below where the metal storm was coming from. As soon as the rockets hit, the metal storm would stop immediately.

However, he instinctively pulled the control stick back, raising the nose of the helicopter.

The large Mi-24 suddenly lifted its head, presenting its flat belly to the metal storm below.

The underside of the Mi-24 was made of bulletproof armor, which could withstand small arms fire. He needed to quickly pull up and then circle in the air, using the rockets to completely flatten the area.

Don't think a few broken guns are impressive; the helicopter is the nemesis of infantry! Just like an eagle catching chicks in the sky, the eagle is always invincible.

The rotor blades on top whistled, and the two engines reached their maximum power output. The entire helicopter began to climb rapidly.

The branches and leaves above were knocked down, falling around them, even onto their bodies. No one paid attention to this; they were all shooting madly into the sky.

"Rattle." The automatic rifles had stopped firing; the bullets in the magazine had been used up. They were red-eyed, quickly changing magazines, and without waiting for Muhammad's order, they opened fire again.

If this helicopter escaped, they would definitely all die here.

Muhammad was also frustrated. The firepower just now was already fierce enough, but the helicopter managed to escape from the fire net. Did this mean he had no way to deal with the helicopter?

No, the armor of the Mi-24 is thick, but 12.7 mm bullets can still penetrate it! Muhammad thought, continuing to pour out his bullets.

The treetops above had already been cleared, and the surroundings were open. Muhammad fired while slowly turning the gun barrel, the bullet chain still rattling. Soon, the bullets in this box would be used up.

At this moment, the large Mi-24 made a graceful turn in the air, and its massive side appeared in Muhammad's line of sight.

Aim for the engine, aim for the main reducer on top of the engine! In an instant, Muhammad had a new target.

Compared to Western Apache helicopters, the Mi-24's biggest feature is the troop transport cabin at the back. Therefore, when attacking the enemy, it can first drop the troops behind, and then the sky and ground can act together, which is a significant characteristic.

However, this also made the Mi-24 large, like a pregnant deer, earning it the nickname from the West.

Hitting the side is not a problem, and there is no armor on the side, but hitting only the side cannot destroy the helicopter.

The key is to hit the engine on top of the helicopter!

The engines used in helicopters are derived from aviation engines, and the Mi-24 uses two TV3-117 turboshaft engines. In the middle of the engines is a large reducer, which transmits the engine's power to the rotor blades on top after reducing its speed.

Although there is armor protection here, it is still the most vulnerable part.

"Clang, clang." As Muhammad adjusted the gun barrel, the bullets successfully hit the engine, sparks flying. Suddenly, these sparks turned into a large spark, and then into a fireball.

One engine was smoking.

This lucky machine gun bullet successfully penetrated the gap in the engine's armor, then entered the engine and hit a fuel line.

Aviation fuel is even more flammable than gasoline. The hot bullet tip immediately ignited the fuel.

"Left engine failure, left engine on fire." In the rear cabin, the pilot shouted, seeing the left engine's RPM sharply drop on the instrument panel and the thick smoke coming from behind.

"Shut down the left engine, activate the fire suppression system, and set the other engine to maximum power. We have to get back alive." The weapon operator in the front cabin shouted, "You fool!"

This pilot was sent from the rear, having flown fewer than five missions. His previous partner had already returned home due to illness. If it were his previous partner, he would have used the rockets to finish the fight long ago. How could it have come to this!

What can be done when the engine catches fire? Put it out! Fly back!

The weapon operator's words woke up the pilot in the rear. His fingers operated the panel in front of him, shutting down the left engine and activating the fire suppression system, ignoring the flashing warning lights, and pushing the control stick to the right.

After the left engine failed, the right engine immediately began to operate at full power. Since it was hit from the side, he needed to turn the helicopter to minimize the exposed area to the fire below.

However, his operation was too abrupt.

The Mi-24 helicopter was designed with insufficient reserve power. In the mountains of Afghanistan, the high altitude and lack of oxygen further reduced the engine's power.

Now, with only one engine left, the helicopter was always at risk of crashing. Everything had to be handled with extreme caution, like treating a new bride.

But he made a big mistake by roughly pushing the control stick to the limit.

As soon as he pushed, he felt the Mi-24's body shake violently, and then it began to fall uncontrollably.

"Damn, we're stalling."

The guerrillas below raised their weapons high and shouted at the sky.

Just now, they had fired all their bullets but failed to bring down the helicopter. Seeing the helicopter turn and fly away, they knew that if it returned, they would face a terrible end.

At this moment, Muhammad, the outstanding Pakistani instructor, successfully hit the helicopter with his machine gun, and the helicopter immediately began to smoke.

Muhammad is truly great!

Seeing the helicopter smoking, even Muhammad's machine gun stopped firing. The bullet chain had run out, leaving only a dozen bullets.

However, unexpectedly, the helicopter, though smoking, was still flying.

Helicopters have strong resistance to damage, and it seemed the Mi-24 could still hold on.

Muhammad was somewhat impressed in his heart.

But in the blink of an eye, the helicopter, like a headless fly, spiraled down from the sky.

Great, truly great! Muhammad stood up, watching the satisfying scene of the helicopter, a smile on his face.

Stalling is a terrifying phenomenon in any aircraft, and stalling means crashing. However, in general, even if a fighter jet stalls, as long as it has enough altitude, it can still recover, or at worst, the pilot can eject.

However, helicopter pilots have no choice. They are already at low altitude, and the time left for them is very short. It is almost impossible to recover.

And eject? In the world's helicopters, only the future Ka-50 has ejection seats, which destroy the rotor blades before ejecting the pilot. Otherwise, the pilot would be shredded by the rotor blades upon ejection.

Now, the two Soviet pilots inside the Mi-24 had no choice. They were rapidly descending and rolling, and the radio in the base only heard their screams.

"Boom!" The helicopter crashed to the ground, and a fire broke out.

Seeing this, the guerrillas celebrated even more, and some even continued to shoot into the sky to celebrate this moment.

It was so difficult, and now they had actually brought down a helicopter! This was something they had never dared to imagine before.

All of this was thanks to the instructor!

"Immediately retreat, get back to the truck, we need to leave." Muhammad's authoritative voice rang out, "Whoever wastes bullets, don't blame me."

"Yes." Everyone responded without hesitation. At this moment, they were completely following Muhammad's command.

Muhammad turned around and ran forward in large strides. He knew that although they had brought down the helicopter, the danger was not over. They needed to leave this place as soon as possible.

Abandon the truck? Muhammad was reluctant. After all, the truck was full of treasures looted from the outpost. If they abandoned the truck, they couldn't carry the items on it.

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