In 1988 the US military launched a secret military operation codenamed, Operation Mount Hope III, or more commonly known today as the operation in which a Libyan Mi-24 Hind was taken. Keep in mind this was the height of the Cold War and there was no way the Soviet Union was going to willingly give access to a Mi-24 which at the time was the latest helicopter out of the USSR. The helicopter should to be a devasting machine and the US were anxious to get a closer look at it.
An opportunity arose when Libyan president and dictator at the time, Ghaddafi, purchased a few Hind Mi-24s from the USSR who were more than happy to support him due to his anti-US views. Ghaddafi decided to use the helicopters when Libya attacked Chad in an attempt to extend their territory. Things were going well for the Libyans who made it deeper into Chad early on, however they began to retreat and lose the recently gained territory when Chad received assistance from France and the US.
In a one hastened retreat, the Libyans abandoned an airbase in the town of Quadi Dcum, leaving behind an Mi-24 Hind. The CIA quickly came to an agreement with France and Chad to take over the Hind and all parties agreed with of course the help of cash and arms (more so to Chad than France). However, the Hind would have to be evacuated out of airspace that was still occupied and patrolled by Libyan Migs.
With Chad and France on board, the US deployed two Chinook helicopters to extract the Hind. The first step was to disassemble the Hind with the body and parts separated so the two helicopters could transport the Hind. On June 11th, 1988, the two Chinooks arrived at the airbase and the began the extraction. The first Chinook loaded up the body while the second one took the remaining parts. Once back in safe territory the Chinooks and Hind were loaded up on two Hercules helicopters and flown back to the US. It is believed the Hind is still stored in a secret US military hanger…
