List of Soviet aircraft losses during the Soviet–Afghan War

• 25 December 1979 – An Il-76 heavy transport plane crashed into a mountain near the village of Kanzak (Northeast of Kabul) after being damaged by anti-aircraft artillery fire. Its pilot, 37 paratroopers and nine troops from unknown units were killed upon impact, leaving no survivors. Two vehicles in cargo, including a fuel truck, were also destroyed. ==1980==

• 9 January 1980 – Mi-8 was shot down using DShK; all crew members survived. • 7 February 1980 – An-12 transport aircraft crashed on the outskirts of Kabul, killing its pilot. • 13 February 1980 – An Mi-24 attack helicopter was badly damaged by ground fire, and crashed in a botched emergency landing. • 23 February 1980 – An Mi-8TV Border guard helicopter was shot down, killing one passenger. • 7 March 1980 – An Mi-8 crashed due to a technical malfunction, killing all crew members. • 7 March 1980 – An Mi-6 was shot down in Kush mountains. • 10 March 1980 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter crashed due to technical difficulties near the village of Kochek Qizil (Southwest of Mazari Sharif), killing two crew members. • 23 March 1980 – Su-17 fighter-bomber crashed due to either technical problems or poor weather conditions, killing its pilot. • 24 March 1980 – An Mi-8 crashed due to pilots error, killing three people. • 30 March 1980 – An Mi-8 was shot down with DShK; all on board survived. • 30 March 1980 – An Mi-24D crashed due to technical failure, crew survived. • 9 April 1980 – An Mi-8T transport helicopter, crashed due to either technical problems or poor weather conditions, killing two crew members. • 11 April 1980 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down near the remote village of Shindand, killing two crew members. • 24 April 1980 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 12 June 1980 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member. • 1 July 1980 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 5 July 1980 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 20 July 1980 – An Mi-10 heavy transport helicopter was shot down, killing three crew members. • 23 July 1980 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down, killing two crew members. • 23 July 1980 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member. • 1 August 1980 – A MiG-21 aircraft was shot down. Pilot was killed. • 25 August 1980 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 6 September 1980 – An unidentified aircraft crashed due to either technical problems or bad weather, killing one crew member. • 18 October 1980 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 12 December 1980 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. ==1981==

• 17 April 1981 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member. • 15 June 1981 – A MiG-21 aircraft was shot down. One crewman, Mikhail Korchinsky, was killed. The other crewman, Yuri Moscowchuk, was captured, becoming the first Soviet air force pilot to be a prisoner of war. • 24 July 1981 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing four crew members. • 5 September 1981 – An Mi-8T transport helicopter was shot down, killing four crew members. • 10 October 1981 – An Mi-8MT transport helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member. • 17 October 1981 – An Mi-8T Border Guard helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member. • 28 October 1981 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down, killing three crew members. • 13 November 1981 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member. • 18 November 1981 – An Mi-8MT transport helicopter was shot down, killing two crew members. ==1982==

• 10 March 1982 – An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one crew member. • 15 April 1982 – An unidentified aircraft was shot down, killing one crew member. • 17 May 1982 – An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one crew member. • 27 May 1982 – An Mi-24 attack helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member. • 27 May 1982 – A MiG-21 aircraft was shot down. • ? June 1982 – A MiG-21 aircraft was shot down. • 13 June 1982 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down near the village of Taghaz (245 km to the Southwest of Kandahar), killing two crew members. • 10 July 1982 – An unidentified aircraft was shot down, killing one crew member. • 6 August 1982 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 13 August 1982 – A MiG-21 aircraft was shot down. Pilot was killed • 18 August 1982 – A MiG-21 aircraft was shot down. • 23 August 1982 – An Mi-6 heavy transport helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member. • 11 September 1982 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 7 October 1982 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 11 October 1982 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 12 October 1982 – An unidentified helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member. • 24 October 1982 – A MiG-21 aircraft was shot down. • 30 October 1982 – An unidentified helicopter was shot down, killing three crew members. • 4 December 1982 – A Su-17 aircraft was shot down. Both crewmen were killed ==1983==

• 4 January 1983 – An unidentified helicopter was shot down near the village of Kholm (East of Mazari Sharif), killing one crew member. • 15 February 1983 – An An-12 was shot down while on approach to Jalalabad. The five crew members were killed. • 22 February 1983 – An Mi-6 heavy transport helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member. • 5 June 1983 – An Mi-24 attack helicopter was shot down, killing two crew members. • 19 July 1983 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member. • 24 July 1983 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down near Jalalabad, killing two crew members. • 7 August 1983 – An unidentified helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member. • 9 September 1983 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down 120 km South of Faizabad, killing one crew member. • 16 September 1983 – An Antonov An-12 transport plane was shot down, killing four crew members. • 3 October 1983 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 18 October 1983 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down near the Kajaki reservoir (Helmand province), killing two crew members. • 21 October 1983 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 25 October 1983 – An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one crew member. • 29 October 1983 – A MiG-21 aircraft was shot down. • 15 November 1983 – An Mi-6 heavy transport missed the Soviet landing strip near the town of Kunduz and crashed due to a faulty tail rotor. Two crew members were killed. ==1984==

• 16 January 1984 – A Su-25 strike jet was shot down, killing its pilot. • 6 March 1984 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 2 April 1984 – An unidentified helicopter crashed either due to bad weather or a technical failure. One crew member was killed. • ? May 1984 – 4 MiG-21 Aircraft were destroyed on the ground. • 9 May 1984 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 5 June 1984 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 6 June 1984 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 2 July 1984 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member. • 3 July 1984 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 5 July 1984 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member. • 6 July 1984 – An Mi-6 heavy transport helicopter was shot down on approach to its base (while returning from a mission). All three crew members were killed. It is possible that this helicopter was captured by Afghan guerrillas. • 14 July 1984 – An unidentified helicopter crashed. One crew member was killed. • ? August 1984 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 6 August 1984 – An unidentified helicopter was shot down. One crew member was killed. • 23 August 1984 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 27 August 1984 – An unidentified helicopter was shot down. One crew member was killed. • 19 September 1984 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing all three crew members in addition to a unit of paratroopers. • 23 September 1984 – An unidentified helicopter crashed. One crew member was killed. • 16 October 1984 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down while landing a group of soldiers near the town of Baghlan. All three crew members and four disembarking troops were killed. • 18 October 1984 – A Su-25 strike jet was shot down, killing its pilot. • 18 October 1984 – An unidentified helicopter (probably a Mi-24) was shot down, killing two crew members. • 27 October 1984 – An Il-76 heavy transport plane was shot down during landing, 20 km to the South East of Kabul. Five were killed. • 28 October 1984 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down in the Panshir Valley, killing two crew members. • 8 November 1984 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 27 November 1984 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 1 December 1984 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 10 December 1984 – An Su-25 strike jet was shot down. ==1985==

• 22 January 1985 – An An-26 transport plane was shot down, killing one. • 29 January 1985 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down shortly after taking off from Kandahar, en route to Kabul, killing one crew member. • 13 February 1985 – An Su-25 strike jet was shot down, killing its pilot. • 11 March 1985 – An An-30 transport plane was struck in the left engine by ground fire, causing a fire that began to spread. All non-essential crew members bailed out, while the pilot and co-pilot remained, hoping to land the aircraft at Bagram Airport (near Kabul). The aircraft crashed 25 km from Kabul after the fire destroyed the aileron controls, and both were killed. • 14 March 1985 – An Mi-6 heavy transport helicopter collided with a Soviet Air Force reconnaissance plane, killing three. • 20 March 1985 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down while transporting troops from Ghazni to Baraki(?). All five aboard were killed. • 24 March 1985 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 27 April 1985 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down 7 km away from its destination of Lashkargah while transporting troops. Three were killed. • 11 May 1985 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 18 May 1985 – An Mi-6 heavy transport helicopter was shot down near the remote village of Bakarak, killing one. • 1 June 1985 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 18 June 1985 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 21 June 1985 – A MiG-23 fighter jet was shot down, killing its pilot. • 21 June 1985 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing one. • 27 June 1985 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter shot down, possibly with several troops on board. All those aboard were killed. • 10 July 1985 – An Mi-24 attack helicopter was shot down, killing one. • 16 July 1985 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 11 July 1985 – An unidentified ‘special missions’ aircraft was shot down, killing five. • 22 July 1985 – A Su-25 strike jet was shot down. • 23 July 1985 – A MiG-23 fighter jet was shot down. • 25 July 1985 – An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one. • 16 August 1985 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 19 August 1985 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 17 September 1985 – An Mi-6 heavy transport helicopter was attacked on the ground, killing one. • 21 September 1985 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 24 September 1985 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 3 October 1985 – An Mi-6 heavy transport helicopter was shot down. • 12 October 1985 – An Mi-6 heavy transport helicopter was shot down 23 km South of Kabul, killing two. • 13 October 1985 – An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one. • 18 October 1985 – An unidentified aircraft was shot down, killing one. • 25 October 1985 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down 20 km to the Northwest of Kunduz, killing nine crew members and paratroopers. • 1 November 1985 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing one. • 7 November 1985 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 15 November 1985 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 24 November 1985 – An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one. • 6 December 1985 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter shot down while transporting troops, killing seven. • 16 December 1985 – A Su-17 aircraft was shot down. • 27 December 1985 – A MiG-23 fighter jet was shot down. ==1986==

• 13 January 1986 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 18 January 1986 – An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one. • 19 January 1986 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing all crew members and paratroopers aboard. • 1 February 1986 – An Mi-24 attack helicopter was shot down West of Maymaneh, killing one. • 21 February 1986 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 5 March 1986 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 3 April 1986 – An Su-17 aircraft was shot down. • 6 April 1986 – An Su-25 strike jet was shot down by a Pakistan Air Force F-16, pilot Alexander Rutskoy safely ejects. • 18 April 1986 – An Su-25 strike jet was shot down. • 21 April 1986 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing two. • 2 May 1986 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 17 May 1986 – Either one or two Su-22s were shot down by an F-16 flown by Hameed Qadri of the 9 Squadron of the Pakistan Air Force. Some accounts state that both were shot down, others say that one was only damaged. • 24 May 1986 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 26 May 1986 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 31 May 1986 – An Mi-24 attack helicopter was shot down over Kabul airbase, killing two instantly while another died of his wounds six days later. • 3 June 1986 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 15 July 1986 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 31 July 1986 – Two Mi-8 medevac helicopters collided near Pagman, killing some of the injured passengers. • 22 September 1986 – An Su-17 aircraft was shot down. • 25 September 1986 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • September 1986 was the month that the FIM-92 Stinger missile was introduced by the CIA and Zia ul-Haq of Pakistan into the war. • 16 October 1986 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing two. • 19 October 1986 – An Mi-24 attack helicopter was shot down, killing one. • 22 October 1986 – An Su-17 aircraft was shot down. • 20 November 1986 – An Su-25 strike jet was shot down. • 29 November 1986 – An An-12 transport plane was shot down while leaving Kabul Airbase en route to Jalalabad, transporting a contingent of newly arrived Russian troops. All crew members (4–5) and all 27 passengers were killed. • 29 November 1986 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 29 November 1986 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 3 December 1986 – An Su-25 strike jet was shot down. • 3 December 1986 – An Su-25 strike jet was shot down. • 26 December 1986 – An An-26RT transport plane was shot down. All crew members bailed out, except the mechanic, who was killed either by the missile or in the crash. ==1987==

• 12 January 1987 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down by MANPADS. ==1988==

• 17 January 1988 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing four. • 6 February 1988 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter on a search and rescue mission was shot down with several rescued personnel aboard, killing two and wounding 6. • 16 February 1988 – An Mi-24 attack helicopter was shot down, killing one. • 26 February 1988 – An Mi-24 attack helicopter was shot down, killing one. • 29 February 1988 – An Mi-24 attack helicopter shot down 10 km Southeast of Bagram, killing one. • 18 April 1988 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 20 April 1988 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 25 May 1988 – An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one. • 23 June 1988 – 8 Su-25 strike jets were destroyed on the ground. • ? June 1988 – 1 Su-25 strike jet was destroyed on the ground. • 18 July 1988 – An unidentified helicopter (possibly a Mi-8) was shot down, killing one. • 4 August 1988 – A Su-25 strike jet was shot down by a Pakistani F-16, pilot Alexander Rutskoy safely ejects. • 21 August 1988 – An Mi-24 attack helicopter shot down, killing its two-member crew. • 27 August 1988 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down. • 4 September 1988 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing one. • 30 September 1988 – An Mi-24 attack helicopter was shot down, killing two. • 1 October 1988 – An Mi-8 transport was helicopter shot down, killing one. ==1989==

• 7 January 1989 – A Su-25 strike jet was shot down, killing its pilot. • 19 January 1989 – An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing five. • 2 February 1989 – An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down, killing both crew members. • 6 March 1989 – An Antonov was struck by a rocket killing two. ==Summary by aircraft type==

• An-12 6 • An-26 4 • An-30 1 • Il-76 2 • Mi-6 10 • Mi-8 45 • Mi-10 1 • Mi-24 74 • MiG-21 12 (4 to hostile fire while on the ground) • MiG-23 4 • Su-17 10 • Su-22 5 • Su-25 23 (9 to hostile fire while on the ground) • Unidentified aircraft 24 • Unidentified helicopter 14 ==Non-Soviet losses==

• (2) 26 September 1988 - Two Soviet MiG-23MLs intercepted and shot down two Iranian Air force Bell AH-1 SuperCobras flying southeast of Shindand, Herat Province. • (4) October 1988 - Since October 1987 several rogue and defected Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Air Force Su-22s attempted to bomb the Kabul Presidencial Palace, at least four were intercepted and shot down by Soviet MiG-29s based on Termez Airbase. ==See also==