Photos: A century of helicopters

This Russian helicopter remains a vivid reminder of the Cold War. It's the Mi-24 Hind, a fast, well-armed and heavily armored gunship that just plain looks mean. (It could also function as a troop carrier, with eight soldiers in its belly, but that was never a primary mission.) Although many patrolled the border between East and West Germany, the Hind saw the bulk of its combat action during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

This one belongs to the U.S. military. In this photo from February 2000, it has just finished a day's work as an opposing-forces role player during a search-and-rescue exercise at the Naval Air Station in Fallon, Nev.