Combat helicopter OKB M.L. Mil Mi-24P (P - "cannon") entered mass production in April 1981. It differed from the earlier modifications by having a machine gun mount in its powerful cannon armament - the double-barreled 30 mm GSh-2-30K cannon was permanently mounted on the starboard side of the helicopter. The gun was aimed at the target by turning the whole machine, therefore the pilot - the helicopter commander - fired from the cannon. In addition to the cannon, the helicopter could carry up to 2400 kg of combat load: bombs, unguided rockets, anti-tank missiles. The Mi-24P was mass produced until 1989. This modification was actively used in the Afghan war, during hostilities in Chechnya and during the Russian Aerospace Forces operation in Syria.