List of Soviet aircraft losses in Afghanistan

The following is a partial and unofficial list of helicopter and airplane crashes that occurred during the Soviet war in Afghanistan of 1979-89. In total, at least 333 helicopters and 118 jets crashed during the war.

The list is drawn from a Russian language aviation site.

1979

 * 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, 9-11 other crew members, 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

 * 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 unidentified helicopter crashed due to a technical malfunction, killing one crew member.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 12 June 1980- An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member.
 * 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.
 * 6 September 1980- An unidentified aircraft crashed due to either technical problems or bad weather, killing one crew member.

1981

 * 17 April 1981- An Mi-24 assault helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member.
 * 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 Board 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.
 * 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.
 * 23 August 1982- An Mi-6 heavy transport helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member.
 * 7 October 1982- An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one crew member.
 * 12 October 1982- An unidentified helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member.
 * 24 October 1982- An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one crew member.
 * 30 October 1982- An unidentified helicopter was shot down, killing three crew members.

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 unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one crew member.
 * 18 October 1983- An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down near the Kajaki reservoir (Helmand province), killing two crew members.
 * 25 October 1983- An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one crew member.
 * 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- An Su-25 strike jet was shot down, killing its pilot.
 * 2 April 1984- An unidentified helicopter crashed either due to bad weather or a technical failure. One crew member was killed.
 * 2 July 1984- An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing one crew member.
 * 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.
 * 6 August 1984- An unidentified helicopter was shot down. One crew member was killed.
 * 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- An Su-25 strike jet was shot down, killing its pilot.
 * 18 October 1984- An unidentified helicopter (probably an 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.

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 VVS 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.
 * 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.
 * 18 May 1985- An Mi-6 heavy transport helicopter was shot down near the remote village of Bakarak, killing one.
 * 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.
 * 11 July 1985- An unidentified ‘special missions’ aircraft was shot down, killing five.
 * 25 July 1985- An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one.
 * 17 September 1985- An Mi-6 heavy transport helicopter was attacked on the ground, killing one.
 * 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.
 * 15 November 1985- An unidentified helicopter was shot down, killing one.
 * 24 November 1985- An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one.
 * 6 December 1985- An Mi-8 transport helicopter shot down while transporting troops, killing seven.

1986

 * 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 April 1986- An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing two.
 * 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.
 * 31 July 1986- Two Mi-8 medevac helicopters collided near Pagman, killing some of the injured passengers.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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 unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one.
 * 13 January 1987- An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one.
 * 21 January 1987- An unidentified aircraft crashed due to either technical problems or bad weather, killing one.
 * 5 February 1987- An unidentified aircraft was shot down, killing one.
 * 27 February 1987- An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one.
 * 4 March 1987- Two Mi-8 transport helicopters were shot down while searching for the pilots from the two Afghan Su-22s that had been downed earlier in the day. Both crews were killed. (Two escorting Mi-24s had been delayed)
 * 23 March 1987- An Mi-6 heavy transport helicopter was shot down, killing two.
 * 15 April 1987- An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one.
 * 21 April 1987- All crew members and 18 paratroopers when an Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down 120 km north of Kandahar.
 * 7 May 1987- Mi-8 transport helicopter crashed due to technical reasons or bad weather, killing four.
 * 18 May 1987- An Mi-24 attack helicopter was shot down, killing two.
 * 5 June 1987- An Mi-8 Medevac helicopter carrying one wounded individual was shot down North of Kandahar, killing one.
 * 24 June 1987- An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one.
 * 12 July 1987- An-12 delivering ammunition was hit by ground fire while landing at Kandahar airbase, killing four crew members and one person on the ground.
 * 20 July 1987- An Su-22 was shot down near Gazni, killing one.
 * 1 August 1987- An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one.
 * 13 September 1987- An-26 transport plane was shot down, killing one.
 * 13 September 1987- An Su-22 strike jet was shot down, killing one.
 * 29 September 1987- An unidentified helicopter was shot down near Kabul, killing one.
 * 21 October 1987- An An-12 collided with an unidentified helicopter over Kabul Airbase due to the ground controller's error in clearing the helicopter for landing. All involved were killed, including 18 passengers aboard the An-12 who were en-route to Tashkent.
 * 22 October 1987- An An-26 transport plane was shot down, killing two.
 * 30 October 1987- An Mi-24 attack helicopter was shot down, killing two.
 * 23 December 1987- An Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down, killing one.

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.
 * 20 April 1988- An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one.
 * 25 May 1988- An unidentified aircraft crashed, killing one.
 * 18 July 1988- An unidentified helicopter (possibly an Mi-8) was shot down, killing one.
 * 21 August 1988- An Mi-24 attack helicopter shot down, killing its two-member crew.
 * 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- An 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.

Summary by Aircraft type

 * An-12 6
 * An-26 4
 * An-30 1
 * Il-76 2
 * Mi-6 9
 * Mi-8 45
 * Mi-10 1
 * Mi-24 16
 * MiG-23 1
 * Su-22 5
 * Su-25 4
 * Unidentified aircraft 24
 * Unidentified helicopter 14

Source and References

 * A Russian aviation aficionado's translation of crash reports (found on a Soviet veteran webpage)
 * Soviet AF losses in Afghanistan

Список потерь самолётов ВВС СССР в Афганской войне