Not to be contrarian, but in this photo from Reuters you can see the Russian helicopters in the background, but the helicopter in the foreground is the one identified as the one carrying the President. That helicopter appears more modern although Mil still produces the Mi-17 to this day and I'd assume the presidential helicopters would be the best in their fleet.
Again, anything is possible, but their location would be the perfect place to carry out an assassination as it's right on the border with Azerbaijan and the Armenian border is relatively close, not to mention Turkey. Lots of places to disappear to and those governments wouldn't necessarily be mounting an enthusiastic and comprehensive search for the culprits. Add in the bad weather to further conceal your escape and complicate any search efforts and the circumstances are almost perfect.
Take anything from Reuters with a grain of salt though.
Yup, Confirmed, it's a HUEY, and Hueys do not easily get taken down from Ground attacks, they are heavily armored underneath, to the point that it takes a very powerful Ground to air Missile, of which nothing has been said....
This leaves Air to Air, or Mechanic Error, or subterfuge, so now we ask, which Nation Gains the most from this attack???
It isn't America, we lost a valid Target, and lost a valid Control Point, and then, now, they will have a New guy, probably an unpredictable Individual, may possibly be a loose cannon, so, who gained???
Not to be contrarian, but in this photo from Reuters you can see the Russian helicopters in the background, but the helicopter in the foreground is the one identified as the one carrying the President. That helicopter appears more modern although Mil still produces the Mi-17 to this day and I'd assume the presidential helicopters would be the best in their fleet.
Again, anything is possible, but their location would be the perfect place to carry out an assassination as it's right on the border with Azerbaijan and the Armenian border is relatively close, not to mention Turkey. Lots of places to disappear to and those governments wouldn't necessarily be mounting an enthusiastic and comprehensive search for the culprits. Add in the bad weather to further conceal your escape and complicate any search efforts and the circumstances are almost perfect.
Take anything from Reuters with a grain of salt though.
That's a Huey in that pic
Yup, Confirmed, it's a HUEY, and Hueys do not easily get taken down from Ground attacks, they are heavily armored underneath, to the point that it takes a very powerful Ground to air Missile, of which nothing has been said....
This leaves Air to Air, or Mechanic Error, or subterfuge, so now we ask, which Nation Gains the most from this attack???
It isn't America, we lost a valid Target, and lost a valid Control Point, and then, now, they will have a New guy, probably an unpredictable Individual, may possibly be a loose cannon, so, who gained???
Not quite, but definitely related to the Huey. The helicopter that crashed with the Iranian president on board was an American Bell 412.
What is known about this machine:
▪️ It is a mass model but quite old in its design.
▪️ It is an improved version of the Bell 205, a modified civilian version of the Bell UH-1 Iroquois from the Vietnam War.
▪️ It can carry 8-9 passengers alongside 2 pilots, with a max take-off weight of 5 tons and a flight altitude of 5.3 thousand meters.
▪️ Its engine is reliable: if properly maintained, there should be no problems.
▪️ At one time, Iran had about 10-12 such helicopters.
Source
OK, so not quite Mil Spec For Combat situ., but can still be upgraded with good Mechanics, and we still don't think it was ""Taken""???
In its Civy form it could much easier, IMO....