Operation Mount Hope III facts for kids

A Libyan Mi-25 Hind helicopter captured by Chadian forces in Wadi Doum, Chad.

Soldiers from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment flying the Mi-25 Hind helicopter out of Chad.

The captured Mi-25 helicopter being loaded onto a U.S. Air Force C-5 plane on June 21, 1988.

Operation Mount Hope III was a very secret American military mission. Its goal was to get a crashed Soviet-made helicopter called the Mil Mi-25 "Hind-D." This helicopter was a special version of the Soviet Mi-24, made for other countries. It had crashed and been left behind during a fight between Libya and Chad. In 1988, two U.S. MH-47 Chinook helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment flew about 800 kilometers (500 miles) at night to the crash site. They picked up the helicopter without anyone knowing. The mission happened completely inside Chad, and Chad's government said it was okay.

The Secret Mission Begins

In April 1987, a Libyan Mi-25 helicopter was left behind by its crew and found by French and Chadian soldiers. It was still armed. This helicopter, nicknamed "Hind," was stored in a place called Ouadi Doum. The United States government talked with Chad's government to get permission to take the helicopter. Chad agreed, but its soldiers didn't help with the mission itself.

American soldiers practiced for the mission at White Sands Missile Range in the U.S. The actual mission started on June 10, 1988. A giant plane called a C-5 Galaxy landed in N'Djamena, Chad. It carried two MH-47 Chinook helicopters and 75 soldiers. French soldiers also helped. They had some troops and a few Mirage F1 fighter jets.

Flying to Get the Helicopter

The Chinook helicopters were taken off the C-5 plane. The American soldiers then started flying towards Ouadi Doum, where the Hind helicopter was still parked. The helicopter crews were very careful to avoid being seen by Libyan forces. They successfully picked up the Hind helicopter.

Then, they started flying back towards N'Djamena. Two C-130 Hercules planes helped them by setting up two special refueling points. These points were in Faya-Largeau and Moussoro. Even though there were sandstorms, the Chinooks reached these refueling spots and made it back to N'Djamena with the Hind.

Mission Accomplished

Once back in N'Djamena, the Mi-25 Hind helicopter was loaded onto one C-5 Galaxy plane. The two Chinook helicopters were loaded onto another C-5. All of them were then flown safely back to the United States. This mission was a big success because the U.S. military got to study a very important Soviet helicopter.

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