Serbia takes delivery of 11 Mi-35P attack helicopters sold by Cyprus.

Cyprus has delivered its old Russian Mil Mi-35 attack helicopters to Serbia as part of a deal, Laurent Lagneau reports in Opex360. Cyprus, which has had good relations with Moscow for a long time, had equipped its National Guard with Russian-made equipment, including the Mi-35P Hind attack helicopters. However, due to European sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and other operational challenges, Cyprus decided to withdraw these helicopters from service in 2021.

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  After 3 Antonov Airlines An-124 Cyprus to Belgrade flights from Paphos airport/airbase, Serbian Air Force gets their 11 used ex-Cypriot Air Force Mi-35Ps delivered (Picture source: Twitter account of Peter Voinovich)

Cyprus has delivered its old Russian Mil Mi-35 attack helicopters to Serbia as part of a deal, Laurent Lagneau reports in Opex360. Cyprus, which has had good relations with Moscow for a long time, had equipped its National Guard with Russian-made equipment, including the Mi-35P Hind attack helicopters. However, due to European sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and other operational challenges, Cyprus decided to withdraw these helicopters from service in 2021.

The decision to retire these helicopters was driven by factors such as the high maintenance costs (100 million euros over ten years), their unsuitability for the National Guard's missions, and the risk of American sanctions under the CAATSA law. These Mi-35Ps will be replaced by six H145M helicopters from Airbus Helicopters.

Cyprus decided to sell these Mi-35Ps, and Serbia expressed interest in acquiring them. The agreement between the two countries involves the delivery of five Mi-35Ps to Serbia in exchange for Nicosia purchasing 24 Nora self-propelled howitzers and 8 Milos light armored vehicles.

Serbia sees this acquisition as a significant addition to its combat helicopter fleet and will establish a unit called 714. Protivoklovna Helikopterska Eskadrila (714. phe) to operate these helicopters. The helicopters have already been delivered to Serbia via multiple Antonov An-124-100 aircraft, with reports suggesting that not five but 11 Mi-35Ps were transferred in total, Laurent Lagneau comments.