Residents of Tucson, a city in southern Arizona near the US-Mexico border, were startled earlier this week when a group of helicopters, including a rare Russian-designed Mi-17 “Hip,” conducted low-flying nighttime maneuvers as part of a previously undisclosed US military training operation.

While domestic urban training is not uncommon for US forces, this incident stood out for its secrecy and the presence of unusual aircraft.

Social media captures mysterious choppers

Videos began circulating on Instagram the night of 17 June, showing a gray-painted Mi-17 flying in formation with three Bell 407 helicopters just outside Tucson. One clip was filmed near an abandoned school, later confirmed by local authorities as the training site.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the helicopters were affiliated with the US military. However, Sheriff Chris Nanos admitted to KOLD News 13 that his office was not notified in advance.

“The only thing I knew was that there was a lot of noise, flash bangs, helicopters, personnel, lights, sirens, that type of stuff,” Nanos said.

Links to elite army aviation unit suspected

A report by The War Zone (TWZ) suggests the Mi-17 spotted over Tucson strongly resembles helicopters operated by the Aviation Technology Office (ATO) — a highly secretive US Army aviation unit based at Felker Army Airfield in Virginia. ATO is believed to specialize in clandestine support and cutting-edge aircraft testing.

The Mi-17’s configuration — including armor plating, advanced sensors, and radar — matches aircraft previously attributed to ATO. The unit also operates Bell 407s, which have been seen flying alongside ATO Mi-17s in earlier covert operations, including an emergency landing in North Carolina in 2021.

Local officials apologize for lack of notice

KOLD reported that the sheriff’s SWAT team helped coordinate the use of the school as a training site weeks in advance, but communication with the public fell short.

“This was on us,” Sheriff Nanos said. “We could easily have said, use our location [elsewhere] at 10 p.m. I don’t understand what the thinking was there.”

Nanos pledged better coordination in the future and apologized for the confusion caused.

US use of Mi-17s not new

While seeing a Russian-designed helicopter over a US city may seem strange, Mi-17s have been used for years by the US military and intelligence agencies. The CIA and Department of Defense have employed the type for training, logistics, and covert missions, especially in regions like Afghanistan, where the platform is common among local forces.

The Mi-17’s global footprint makes it a valuable platform for realistic training, even when those missions remain officially unacknowledged.