Claim: Photographs show a U.S. military helicopter painted like an eagle.
Example:[Collected on the Internet, 2003]
A Must - Check out this Awesome Paint Job! Check out what some of our boys overseas did to their helicopter.
Some Afghan is probably freaking out right about now.
The story is: this very special Mi-24 helicopter is presently flying in Afghanistan, where it is no doubt causing quite a stir. God Bless the U.S.A.
Origins: Common
as it may be to assume that any neat-o piece of military hardware must be American (especially when it's painted to look like the same type of bird that serves as the U.S. national symbol), the helicopter shown here is not American, nor has it been used by U.S. forces in Afghanistan or Iraq.
The type of helicopter shown in these images is the Mi-24 Hind; the unusually-decorated version pictured here originated with the Hungarian Air Force and was evidently painted with the eagle design by one of its crew members. The craft was not intended to be used in military operations and carried no armaments; it is strictly a display vehicle exhibited at air shows and the like.
A more recent photograph of the helicopter can be viewed here.
