An Iraqi Army Aviation Mi-35M crashed near Baiji this morning killing the four crew members : Pilot Mojtaba Kazazi Hilal, Lieutenant Hussein Kamel, Joey Omar Arif, Weapons technician Jabbar. The 35th Attack Squadron of Iraqi Army Aviation lost four others Mi-35M
before, one crashed at Al-Saqlawiyah near Fallujah on 16 June 2014
and another was shot down on 3 October 2014 by a FN-6 MANPADS between
Baiji and al-Senniyah. On 4 November, a pilot managed to make an
emergency landing after beeing wounded by ground fire west of Ramadi. The
helicopter and its crew were safe. On 22 August 2015, Mi-35M serial “YI-361” has made an emergency
landing in a safe area west of Samarra after hit a power line. The crew
was wounded and the helicopter suffered damages after starting to burn. On 4 April 2016, another Hind crashed near al-Kut airbase injuring the two crew members. On mid-2013, a contract was signed for an order of 28 Mi-35M and
fifteen Mi-28NE helicopters. Twenty units have been already delivered
into five batches of four : first in November 2013, the last on 26th
August 2015. The fifteen remaining helicopters are in service with 35th
Attack Squadron.
