Unsurprisingly, this almost medieval kit was immediately rejected as too hot, heavy, and cumbersome
The Soviet Union’s war in Afghanistan was waged as fiercely in the skies as it was on the ground. From high-altitude bombing missions that devastated insurgent-held mountain valleys to Mi-24 helicopter gunships and Su-25 attack jets supporting every major army offensive, Soviet air superiority proved to be a vital advantage. Even so, the conflict was far from entirely one-sided.
As Mark Galeotti explains in his book Afghanistan 1979–88: Soviet Air Power Against the Mujahideen, the Afghan rebels were already adapting in bold and inventive ways even before they obtained man-portable surface-to-air missiles like the controversial US ‘Stinger.’ They developed new methods of camouflage and deception, carried out audacious raids on airbases to destroy aircraft on the ground, and even prepared ambushes against low-flying attacks.
Although extensive measures were taken to protect the aircraft, from the armour plating on the Mi-24 and Su-25 to missile-defeating countermeasures, casualties in the air and crashes were ultimately unavoidable.
There was, inevitably, a compromise between protection and practicality, evident both in experiments with thick bulletproof glass in portholes and in the body armour proposed for helicopter crews in 1980. This almost medieval-looking equipment included a steel breastplate, greaves for the legs, and vambraces for the arms. Unsurprisingly, it was quickly dismissed as too hot, heavy, and awkward, though some crews later adopted the BZh-1 set, which featured a titanium breastplate and shoulder guards.
Instead, helicopter crews and some ground-attack pilots sometimes wore the 6B2 vest—still a bulky 5kg garment—especially in winter, when it also served as cold-weather protection, along with the ZSh-3B armoured flight helmet. Their coveralls were also modified, first to replace a synthetic material that could melt when exposed to fire, and then, from 1984 onward, changed from their distinctive light blue to camouflage.
The final change was intended specifically to help if crews were shot down and needed to stay hidden. As with medical evacuation, the Soviet military in Afghanistan treated search and rescue (SAR) far more seriously than it had before. Dedicated SAR helicopter teams were kept on constant standby at Kabul, Bagram, Shindand, and Kandahar, while both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters were frequently redirected to find, protect, and recover downed airmen.
As a precaution, flight crews were issued survival kits as well as PM pistols, although these weapons were widely disliked for their limited range and stopping power. Many airmen swapped them for TT Tokarev or APS Stechkin pistols, or for Western handguns acquired on the black market or taken from fallen rebels, with the 9mm Beretta 92 and .45 Colt M1911 proving especially popular. More and more crews also adopted the AKS-74U, the compact carbine variant of the standard AK-74, valuing its shorter size. Some even replaced one of the water flasks in their survival kits with four RGD-5 hand grenades—there was a common vow, though seldom carried out, to keep the last grenade in reserve to avoid being captured by the rebels.
Afghanistan 1979–88: Soviet air power against the mujahideen is published by Osprey and is available to order here.
Photo by Igor Dvurekov, Russian Planes via Wikipedia and Unknown
