Mi-8. Helicopter of hundreds of professions
Helicopter of the Mi-8 family, photo: www.rhc.aero
The Mi-8 helicopter became a legend during its lifetime aviation... This machine, created by the designers of the Mil Design Bureau, holds a number of important records. The first prototype of the future helicopter took to the skies at the dawn of the thaw in the summer of 1961. After 60 years, the helicopter is still flying into the sky and is not going to give up positions.
Mi-8 helicopters have been delivered to more than 100 countries around the world, and their total flight time has exceeded 100 million hours. At the same time, the helicopter holds the record for mass production. The Mi-8 is the most massive twin-engine helicopter on the planet (more than 13 thousand aircraft of various modifications were produced in total). The same result allows the Soviet / Russian helicopter to be included in the list of the most massive rotary-wing aircraft in stories aircraft industry.
The stake on gas turbine engines fully paid off
The creation of a new multipurpose helicopter in the USSR was thought of in the second half of the 1950s. Work on the creation of the future Mi-8 was headed by Mil OKB engineers and designers. By that time, they already had in their track record a rather successful Mi-4 helicopter for its time. During the 1950-1970s, this machine remained the main transport and landing helicopter in all countries of the Warsaw Pact.
The Mi-4 resembled the American Sikorsky S-55. The cars were similar in layout and appearance. At the same time, the Mi-4 was almost twice as large as the American helicopter in terms of weight and carrying capacity. The machine, which was created to replace the Mi-4, was supposed to surpass its predecessor in all respects. Chief Designer Mikhail Leontyevich Mil and his colleagues coped with the implementation of this task brilliantly.
Multipurpose helicopter Mi-4, photo: wikimedia.org
We can say that Mikhail Leontyevich Mil made a small revolution in the helicopter industry.
The designer proposed using gas turbine engines on the new helicopter, which were designed to improve not only the flight characteristics of the helicopter, but also to improve the economic efficiency of its use. Among other things, the new helicopter was supposed to become a rotary-wing aircraft with a twin-engine installation, which increased the reliability of the helicopter.
The first prototypes of the new rotorcraft were designated B-8 or "80" product. The construction of the first five experimental helicopters began in 1958. By that time, the USSR did not have its own helicopter gas turbine engines, for this reason, all the first prototypes were equipped with an AI-24 aircraft engine. There was only one engine on the prototypes; it was specially modified to be placed on board a helicopter.
The first flight of the B-8 prototype took place on June 24, 1961.
During this flight, the car performed a short hover in the air. After two weeks, on July 9, 1961, a prototype of the helicopter took part in the air parade, which was traditionally held in those years at the Tushino airfield. Then the helicopter flew in a circle.
B-8, one of the first prototypes of the future Mi-8 helicopter, photo: www.rhc.aero
The second prototype of the future Mi-8, designated B-8A, began testing in 1962. By that time, the vehicle had already received the first Soviet TV-2-117 turboprop helicopter engines. The vehicle also received a five-bladed propeller; on the Mi-4, the main rotor was four-bladed.
The first full-fledged flight of the B-8A prototype took place in September 1962.
Mi-8 has become an excellent replacement for the Mi-4
Tests of the third prototype V-8AT began in 1963.
It was a transport-combat version of the helicopter for the armed forces. It is this modification that will then serve as the basis for all other versions of the helicopter. After successfully completing the tests and introducing all the necessary modifications into the design, the helicopter went into mass production in 1965 under the designation Mi-8.
The new helicopter was originally developed as a replacement for the military transport Mi-4. At the same time, the layout of the helicopter has changed in a fundamental way. The location of the power plant and cockpit on the Mi-8 has actually changed places in comparison with the Mi-4. Thanks to this technical solution of the Mil Design Bureau, a person of average height was able to walk around the Mi-8 cargo compartment without bending over. At the same time, the height of the tail boom of the new helicopter was high enough so that a passenger car could enter the cargo compartment.
In the process of design and testing, the helicopter received more and more differences from its predecessor. The most notable of them were: a three-point landing gear, a five-bladed main rotor, and extensive cockpit glazing. All these decisions, ultimately, laid the foundation for the longevity of the Mi-8, which has served for decades in various parts of the world, often remaining the only means of communication between remote and inaccessible areas with the mainland.
The first production Mi-8 after the flight, October 26, 1965, photo: www.rhc.aero
In 1967, the new helicopter was officially adopted by the Soviet Air Force.
Soon enough, he completely ousted his predecessor, the Mi-4, from the military aviation. At the same time, the Mi-8 helicopter turned out to be so successful in the technical and design sense that the Russian Air Force continues to purchase upgraded versions of this helicopter even half a century after the helicopter was adopted.
Why the Mi-8 is called the helicopter of the "hundred professions"
Initially, the production of the Mi-8 helicopter was launched at Plant No. 386, which is known today as the Kazan Helicopter Plant. At the initial stage of production, there were two main and most massive versions of the helicopter - the Mi-8P (passenger version) and the Mi-8T (transport and landing version for the military). At the same time, the demand for new aircraft equipment exceeded all expectations. Already in 1970, production of the Mi-8 was launched at the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant, where it continues to this day.
Nowadays, the Mi-8 is called the "hundred professions" helicopter, and this is fully justified. Since the mid-1960s, factories have produced more than 100 modifications of this amazing machine, which turned out to be multipurpose not only in name, but also in meaning. Such a versatile helicopter, which has found itself in military affairs and in civilian life, is still worth looking for.
Advertising brochure for Mi-17 helicopters of the Russian Helicopters holding
Civilian and military versions of the Mi-8/17 helicopters are among the most widely used in their class. Among the produced helicopter modifications: passenger, transport, air assault, search and rescue, ambulance, agricultural, fire-fighting versions. In addition, on the basis of the Mi-8, air command posts were created, electronic warfare helicopters, minelayers, vehicles for transporting VIPs.
High performance characteristics of the helicopter, ease of operation, its durability, reliability and maintainability allow operating the helicopter even in extreme weather conditions in the most inaccessible corners of the planet. A spacious and comfortable cargo compartment allowed the designers to create dozens of helicopter varieties.
In the modification of the Mi-17, the helicopter does not lose its relevance
The flight characteristics and design of the Mi-8 helicopters have improved many times since the 1960s. If, when designing a new multi-purpose helicopter, the designers laid down the carrying capacity of two tons, then later, as the power of the turboprop engines grew, it increased to four tons. According to the Russian Helicopters holding, the latest modification of the Mi-171A2 helicopter brought this figure to five tons.
Today, the medium multipurpose helicopters of the Mi-17 family are the most advanced helicopters in the Mi-8 family. These machines represent a deep modernization of the Mi-8 helicopters and are still in wide demand on the world market.
Advertising brochure for Mi-17 helicopters of the Russian Helicopters holding
Helicopters of the Mi-17 family, produced in Ulan-Ude, are able to carry up to 26 passengers or 36 paratroopers. The maximum flight speed of helicopters is 250 km / h. The service ceiling is 6 meters. Flight range with two outboard fuel tanks - 000 km (offshore version of the helicopter), maximum take-off weight - 1 kg, maximum payload - 065 kg.
The large useful volume of the cargo compartment - up to 23 cubic meters (in the passenger version - up to 27 cubic meters), allows the machine to be used in a variety of versions. In the usual passenger version, 26 passenger seats are installed in the helicopter cabin; in the VIP version, the number of comfortable seats can be 9–12. In the landing version, there are 36 folding seats in the cabin.
The dimensions of the cabin make it possible to effectively use medium multipurpose Mi-17 helicopters as ambulances and even "flying hospitals". In the ambulance version, the helicopter cabin can accommodate 12 stretchers with the wounded. In the “flying hospital” version, modern medical equipment is placed on board the helicopter, which allows doctors to carry out a wide range of work, up to complex surgical operations.
At the same time, there are also combat versions of the Mi-17 helicopter. These include the new Mi-171Sh Storm helicopter, demonstrated at the Army-2021 forum. In the Moscow region, the new helicopter made its way from Ulan-Ude. This model received improved fuselage armor protection, "high-altitude" engines of increased power, as well as improved weapons and protection systems.
Mi-171Sh Storm at the Army-2021 forum, photo: www.instagram.com/ulanudeaviationplant
The main niche of this model is the fight against terrorism and the conduct of special operations.
Developers from Ulan-Ude emphasize that the new modification was specially created to support the actions of special forces. During the development of the Mi-171Sh Storm helicopter, special attention was paid to the issue of improving the safety of the crew and the landing force.
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