Operation Mount Hope III: A Daring Heist in the Desert

In the early hours of June 11th, 1988, the vast expanse of the desert near the Dejamena airfield in southern Chad witnessed a spectacle unlike any other. Two French Mirage fighters and two C5 Galaxy transport aircraft from America’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Group, known as the Night Stalkers, roared overhead. Inside the C5s, two MH-47 Chinook helicopters and over 70 soldiers, rumored to be from the elite Delta Force, waited for the mission’s most clandestine phase to begin. Their objective? To seize one of the Soviet Union’s most coveted military assets: the Mil Mi-25 Hind attack helicopter.

The backdrop to this audacious mission was the Cold War-era geopolitical chess game. Between the 1950s and 1980s, the Soviet Union fostered relationships with many developing nations across South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Their aim was either to spread communism or to sell surplus military equipment, ensuring that a significant portion of the aid they provided returned to their coffers. Libya, under the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi, was one of the USSR’s major clients, amassing a vast arsenal of Soviet weaponry.

The Mi-24 Hind, which officially entered Soviet service in 1976, was a revolutionary piece of military hardware. It was a unique blend of gunship and troop transport, capable of both offensive operations and ferrying soldiers into and out of combat zones. Its export variant, the Mi-25 Hind D, was particularly sought after by many countries, including Libya. The Hind could carry eight soldiers, provide ground support, and then extract the troops once their mission was complete. Its design included heavy armor to protect against ground fire, and it was equipped with a formidable array of weapons, from a 50-caliber Gatling gun to hardpoints that could carry over 3,300 pounds of ordnance.

For the U.S. military, the Hind posed a significant challenge. To match its capabilities, the U.S. would need to deploy multiple helicopters, such as the UH-1 Hueys for transport and the Cobras or Apaches for attack. The Hind’s versatility and prowess in various global conflict zones did not go unnoticed by the U.S. Army and the CIA. They realized that to truly understand and counter this machine, they needed one of their own.

The opportunity to acquire a Hind presented itself when Libyan forces, retreating after a border skirmish with Chad in 1987, abandoned a Hind D in relatively good condition. The CIA, after verifying the intelligence, began planning a mission to retrieve this invaluable asset before Libyan forces could reclaim it.

Training for the mission, codenamed Operation Mount Hope III, began in New Mexico. Two CH-47 Chinooks were modified to transport the Hind. The plan was to disassemble the Hind, with one Chinook carrying the airframe and the other transporting the wings and rotors. After meticulous preparations and rehearsals, the Night Stalkers set out for Chad.

Upon reaching their destination, the U.S. forces, with the support of French troops, began their operation. Advanced reconnaissance teams ensured the area was secure, and the process of preparing the Hind for transport commenced. The mission, however, was not without its challenges. As the Chinooks made their way back, they encountered a severe sandstorm, reducing visibility to zero. Despite the treacherous conditions, the pilots managed to land safely, and the Hind was soon on American soil.

Operation Mount Hope III stands as a testament to the audacity and skill of the U.S. military. It was a daring heist executed flawlessly in the heart of a desert. Yet, in an ironic twist of fate, the dissolution of the Soviet Union a few years later flooded the market with surplus military hardware, including Hinds, available at a fraction of the cost.

Today, the Hind remains a symbol of military innovation, serving in various capacities across the globe. As for the U.S., while they may not have incorporated a similar helicopter into their fleet, the operation itself remains a shining example of their capability to achieve the seemingly impossible.