| Mil Mi-8 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Mil Mi-8 of Baltic Airlines taking off atPeter and Paul Fortress inSaint Petersburg | |
| General information | |
| Type | Transport helicopter (also severalarmed versions) |
| National origin | Soviet Union/Russia |
| Manufacturer | Kazan Helicopter Plant Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant |
| Designer | Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user |
|
| Number built | >17,000 and production continues today; world's most-produced helicopter |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1961–present |
| Introduction date | 1967 |
| First flight | 7 July 1961 |
| Variants | Mil Mi-8M/Mi-17 |
| Developed into | |
TheMil Mi-8 (Russian:Ми-8,NATO reporting name:Hip) is a medium twin-turbinehelicopter, originally designed by theSovietCentral Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) in the 1960s and introduced into theSoviet Air Force in 1968. Russian production of the aircraft model still continues as of 2024.[1] In addition to its most common role as atransport helicopter, the Mi-8 is also used as an airborne command post, armedgunship, and reconnaissance platform.
The Mi-8 is the world'smost-produced helicopter,[2] with over 17,000 units used by over 50 countries. As of 2015, when combined with the relatedMil Mi-17, the two helicopters are the third most common operational military aircraft in the world.[3]
Mikhail Mil originally approached the Soviet government with a proposal to design an all-new two-engined turbine helicopter in 1959 after the success of theMil Mi-4 and the emergence and effectiveness of turbines used in theMil Mi-6. After design and development, the Mi-8 was subsequently introduced into theSoviet Air Force in 1967.
The Soviet military originally argued against a new helicopter, as they were content with the currentMil Mi-4.[4] To counter this, Mikhail Mil proposed that the new helicopter was more of an update to new turbine engines rather than an entirely new helicopter, which persuaded the council of ministers to proceed with production. Due to the position of the engine, this enabled Mikhail Mil to justify redesigning the entire front half of the aircraft around the single engine.[5]
The prototype, which was named V-8, was designed in 1958[4] and based on theMil Mi-4 with a larger cabin.[6] Powered by an AI-24 2,010 kW (2,700 shp) Soloviev turboshaft engine,[7] the single engined V-8 prototype had its maiden flight in June 1961[8] and was first shown onSoviet Aviation Day parade (Tushino Air Parade) in July 1961.[9]
During an official visit to theUnited States in September 1959,Nikita Khrushchev took a flight in theS-58 presidential helicopter for the first time and was reportedly extremely impressed.[10][11] On Khrushchev's return, he ordered the creation of a similar helicopter, which was to be ready for the return visit by the American president, to save face.[12] A luxury version of the Mi-4 was quickly created and Khrushchev took an inspection flight, during which Mikhail Mil proposed that his helicopter in development was more suitable. However, it would be necessary to have a second engine for reliability.[citation needed]
This gave Mikhail Mil the power under the orders of Khrushchev to build the original two-engined helicopter, which for the first time in Soviet history would need purpose-built turbine engines, rather than those adapted from fixed wing aircraft (as in theMil Mi-6 and the first prototype V-8) and an entirely new main rotor gear box that would be designed in-house for the first time. In May 1960, the order was given for Mikhail Mil to create his twin engine helicopter. The Sergei Isotov Design Bureau accepted the task of creating the engines.[citation needed]
The second prototype (still equipped with the one turbine engine as the Isotov engines were still under development) flew in September 1961.[citation needed]
Two months after the engines were completed by Isotov, the third prototype designated V-8A equipped with two 1,120 kW (1,500 shp)Isotov TV2 engines, made its first flight piloted by Nikolai Ilyushin on 2 August 1962, marking the first flight of any Soviet helicopter to fly with purpose built gas turbine engines.[6] The aircraft completed its factory based testing in February 1963.[citation needed]
The fourth prototype was designed as a VIP transport, with the rotor changed from four blades to five blades in 1963 to reduce vibration, the cockpit doors replaced by blister perspex slides and a sliding door added to the cabin.[6]
The fifth and final prototype was a mass production prototype for the passenger market. In November 1964, all joint testing had been completed and the Soviet government began mass production. Production started in the Kazan Production Plant, with the first aircraft completed by the end of 1965.[citation needed]
The Soviet military originally showed little interest in the Mi-8 until theBell UH-1's involvement in theVietnam War became widely publicised as a great asset to the United States, allowing troops to move swiftly in and out of a battlefield and throughout the country. It was only then that the Soviet military rushed a troop-carrying variant of the Mil Mi-8 into production. By1967, it had been introduced into theSoviet Air Force as the Mi-8.[citation needed]
There are numerous variants, including theMi-8T, which, in addition to carrying 24 troops, is armed with rockets andanti-tank guided missiles. TheMil Mi-17 export version is employed by around 20 countries; its equivalent in Russian service in theMi-8M series. The only visible differences between the Mi-8 and Mi-17 are A) the position of the tail rotor (Mi-8 right side, Mi-17 left side), B) the shape of the exhausts (Mi-8 circular, Mi-17 oval), and C) Dust shields in front of engine air intakes for the Mi-17. Also Mi-17 has some improved armour plating for its crew. The navalMil Mi-14 version is also derived from the Mi-8.[13]
The Mi-8 is constantly improving and the newest version still remains in production in 2024. However the second generation of the Mi-8 was changed to a tractor-tail rotor configuration as this configuration has increased yaw authority from the upwards advancing tail rotor blades into the downwash. The increase of the airspeed flowing over the rotor blades increases overall tail rotor effectiveness and yaw authority, whereas with the 'Pusher' tail rotor configuration the advancing rotor blade moves downwards. This decreases the airspeed across the rotor blade, reducing its overall effective yaw authority.[13][citation needed]
TheFinnish Defence Forces and theFinnish Border Guard began using Mi-8s in the 1970s, with theFinnish Air Force receiving its first, serialed HS-2, on 28 May 1973, and the second, HS-1, on 31 May 1973. Six Mi-8Ts were obtained at first, followed by further two Mi-8Ts and two Mi-8Ps. Three of the helicopters were handed over to the Border Guard Wing. One of these was lost after sinking through ice during a landing in April 1982. It was soon replaced by a new Mi-8.
After their Border Guard service, the helicopters were transferred to the civil register, but shortly thereafter to the Finnish Air Force. In 1997 it was decided that all helicopters, including the remaining five Mi-8Ts and two Mi-8Ps, should be transferred to the Army Wing atUtti. All Mi-8s have now been retired. One Mi-8 is on display at theFinnish Aviation Museum inVantaa, and one is at thePäijänne Tavastia Aviation Museum inAsikkala, nearLahti. The two final Mi-8Ts were given to Hungary in August 2011 with all the remaining spare parts.[14]
The Georgian air force started operating Mi-8 and Mi-17 helicopters from 1991 onwards. During theWar in Abkhazia (1992–1993) Mi-8 helicopters were used by both sides. Several were shot down, the first being a Georgian civilian Mi-8T which was destroyed in Sukhumi by anRPG-7. On 14 December 1992, a Russian Air Force Mi-8T wasshot down by a SA-14 missile near Lata.[15]
On another occasions Abkhaz Mi-8MTVs were shot down by Georgian forces, by SA-14 in one case and byRPG-18 in a second case, both during 1993.[15] In the final case, Georgian Mi-8MTV carrying civilian refugees was shot down, killing 25 people.[15] Georgian Air Force and Police currently operate about 20 Mi-8T/MTVs.[16]
Mi-8s were employed by the formerIraqi Army Aviation andIraqi Air Force underSaddam Hussein. In theIran–Iraq War of the 1980s, there wereair-to-air combat between Iraqi andIranian Army Aviation helicopters, including between IranianBell AH-1J Cobras and Iraqi Mi-8s.[17]
On 21 December 2012, aNizhnevartovskavia owned Mi-8 working for theUnited Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was shot down and crashed near Likuangole in theSouth Sudanese state ofJonglei during theSouth Sudan internal conflict. All four Russian crewmembers on board were killed, and after some initial confusion, a UN spokesman said that the South Sudanese army confirmed on 22 December that it mistakenly fired at the helicopter.[18][19]
On 26 August 2014, aUTair Aviation owned Mi-8 working for theUnited Nations crashed as it approached a landing airstrip near Bentiu. Three of the Russian crew members died and one was injured. Rebel commanderPeter Gadet claimed that his forces brought it down using a rocket-propelled grenade.[20][21]
The Mi-8 family of helicopters became the main Soviet (and later Russian) helicopter, covering a large range of roles in both peace time and war time. Large fleets of Mi-8 and its derivatives were employed by both military and civil operators.[citation needed]
Large numbers of Mi-8 family helicopters were used during theSoviet–Afghan War during the 1980s. Its rugged construction allowed easier in-theater operations and maintenance. A large number of Mi-8s were lost with several shot down by enemy fire, with the Mi-8 and its derivatives being the main aircraft model lost by the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.[citation needed]
Between April and May 1986, Mi-8s were used in large numbers to drop radiation-absorbing materials into the No. 4 reactor ofChernobyl Nuclear Power Plant after theChernobyl disaster, and the fire was extinguished by the combined effort of helicopters dropping over 5000 metric tons of sand, lead, clay, andneutron-absorbingboron onto the burning reactor and injectingliquid nitrogen into it. Most of the helicopters were severely irradiated and abandoned in a giant junkyard,[22] the so-called "machines cemetery" near Chernobyl, with several disappearing from the site in later years. During the initial operation, one crashed near the power plant after hitting aconstruction crane cable with all the crew of four being killed in the crash.[23][24] It is now known that virtually none of the neutron absorbers reached the core.[25]
On 16 August 2013, theMinistry of Defense of Ukraine reported that one of its Mi-8MSB had set aworld altitude record of 9,150 metres (30,020 ft) at theKirovske military airfield on 15 August.[26]
The Ukrainian Armed Forces used Mi-8MSB along with Mi-24s in operations against separatists in Eastern Ukraine during theRusso-Ukrainian War. On 29 May 2014, a Ukrainian National Guard Mi-8 was brought down byRussian separatist forces in Donbas using aMANPADS near Slavyansk with 12 personnel, including an Army general, killed and one seriously injured.[27] On 24 June 2014, a Ukrainian National Guard Mi-8 was shot down by separatist forces again using a MANPADS near Slavyansk with nine personnel killed.[28] Ukrainian forces used Mi-8 helicopters to resupply forces during theSiege of Mariupol atAzovstal iron and steel works and bring in additional reinforcements for theAzov Regiment. Some 16 Mi-8s were used a number of times, two of which were shot down.[29] Russia claimed on 5 April that it shot down two Ukrainian Mi-8s that it said were being used to evacuate commanders of theAzov Regiment.[30] In late August 2023, it was reported that a Russian defector namedMaksym Kuzminov[31] handed over a Mi-8AMTSh to the Ukrainian forces in coordination withUkrainian Intelligence agents.[32]
On 16 October 2023, Ukrainian Colonel GeneralOleksandr Syrskyi said that the25th Separate Airborne Brigade had shot down aMi-8 without supplying the location. According to theOryx database 63 Mi-8 helicopters have been shot down by Ukraine thus far during the war, 29 of them being Ukrainian, and 34 Russian respectively.[33][34]
On 31 July 2024, a Russian Mi-8 helicopter was shot down by over occupied Donetsk, by Ukrainian FPV drones. The first time a helicopter in combat was destroyed by a drone. The Mi-8 was believed to have been attacked on the ground either during landing or take off.[35][36]
On 31 December 2024, a Russian Mi-8 was shot down by aMAGURA V5 sea drone armed withR-73 Sea Dragon missiles nearCape Tarkhankut, Crimea, while a second helicopter was damaged but managed to return to base, according to theMain Directorate of Intelligence.[37][38]
As of 08 March 2025, Ukraine lost 28 Mi-8 helicopters and one damaged during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[39]
During the initial stages ofOperation Enduring Freedom, Mi-17s and Mi-8s were extensively used by theCIA andUS Special Forces to assist theNorthern Alliance in their fight against theTaliban.[40]
A number of Mi-8s and Mi-17s are used by US government agencies as of 2022.[41]
 | This section has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
TheYugoslav Air Force took delivery of 24 Mi-8T (Hip C) transport helicopters between May 1968 and May 1969 to equip two squadrons of the newly formed 119th transport regiment fromNiš military airport, each squadron with 12 helicopters. Subsequently, from 1973 to the early 1980s, Yugoslavia purchased more Mi-8T helicopters to re-equip two squadrons of 111th regiment fromPleso military airport nearZagreb and the 790th squadron from Divulje military airport nearSplit, which was under the command of theYugoslav Navy. In total, the Yugoslav Air Force received 92 Mi-8Ts, designated by theYugoslav People's Army as theHT-40, while local modification of several helicopters into electronic warfare variants produced theHT-40E. Some 40 helicopters were equipped for firefighting operations.
The Yugoslav Mi-8s' first combat operations were transport of Yugoslav People's Army troops and federal police forces to border crossings in Slovenia on 27 June 1991 during theTen-Day War. The members ofSlovenianTerritorial Defence firedStrela 2MANPAD, and shot one helicopter down, killing all crew and passengers.
During combat in the winter of 1991 in theCroatian war and in the spring of 1992 in theBosnian War, the Yugoslav People's Army used the Mi-8 fleet for the evacuation of injured personnel, transport of cargo andsearch and rescue for the crews of aircraft forced down. As most flights were made behind the front, the Croatian forces were able to down just one helicopter, which was hit by small arms fire nearSlavonski Brod on 4 October 1991.
AfterBosnian Serbs declared theirstate in the spring of 1992, some former Yugoslav Air Force Mi-8s continued service with the Republika Srpska armed forces. The inventory of the 82nd mixed helicopter squadron, of the 92nd aviation brigade of theArmy of Republika Srpska comprised 12 Mi-8T helicopters, which continued in service untilOperation Koridor. During that period, theRepublika Srpska Air Force lost three Mi-8 helicopters to enemy fire. Three helicopters painted in a blue and white colour scheme flew in the first part of 56th helicopter squadron of theKrajinaMilicija, using Udbina military airport inLika as their main base. The Republika Srpska Air Force continued to operate nine helicopters, albeit suffering problems with maintenance and spare parts, until it was formally disbanded in 2006.
On the other side, Mi-8 helicopters were also used as main air transport. TheCroatian National Guard obtained its first on 23 September 1991, nearPetrinja, when a Yugoslav Air Force Mi-8 made an emergency landing after being damaged by small-arms fire. A further 6 Mi-8T and 18 Mi-8MTV-1 helicopters were bought from ex-Warsaw Pact countries during the war, with 16 being used in active service, and remaining were used as source for spare parts. The remaining Mi-8Ts were retired from service in theCroatian Air Force after the war, while the Mi-8MTVs continued their service in 20th Transport Helicopter Squadron and 28th Transport Helicopter Squadron. The latter has been re-equipped with newMi-171Sh helicopters bought from Russia.
TheArmy of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina secretly obtained Mi-8T, Mi-8MTV and Mi-17 helicopters from various sources. Two helicopters were shot down by Serb air defenses, one around Žepa, while one Mi-17 was shot down by2K12 Kub M, killing the Bosnian Foreign Affairs MinisterIrfan Ljubijankić, a few other politicians, and the helicopter's Ukrainian crew. A few Croatian Mi-8MTVs secretly supportedCroatian Defence Council operations inHerceg Bosna. After the war, theArmy of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina operated the remaining five Mi-8MTVs and one Mi-8T in the Air Force and Air Defense Brigade ofArmed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
TheNorth Macedonian Air Force bought two Mi-8MT helicopters in 2001 fromUkraine. They fly in the Transport Helicopter Squadron (ex 301. Transport Helicopter Squadron). One crashed, killing all 8 passengers and 3 crew members inan accident in January 2008.
During theKosovo War of 1998 and 1999, theFederal Yugoslav Air Force used Mi-8s for transport of personnel and material to forces in otherwise-inaccessible mountain areas. Evacuation of injured personnel also occurred during the1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, flying at low altitude to avoid detection by NATO aircraft. In 1999, Yugoslav Mi-8s shot down at least one US ArmyHunter UAV with the door gunner's 7.62 mm machine gun.[42][43] Two Mi-17V helicopters secretly operated by theSpecial Operations Unit post-1997 were also active during the Kosovar conflict. After the unit disbanded in 2003, the helicopters were transferred toSerbia and Montenegro's air force.
As of mid-2020, theSerbian Air Force, the successor of the Federal Yugoslav Air Force, operates a small amount of Mi-8T which are now being replaced by Mi-17 helicopters. There are 13 Mi-17 in the Serbian air force currently. They are in the 138th Mixed-Transport-Aviation Squadron of204th Air Base and 119th Combined-Arms Helicopter Squadron (ex 199th regiment) of98th Air Base.
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(January 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Afghanistan[71][72]
Albania[73]
Algeria[71]
Angola[71]
Argentina[71]
Armenia[71]
Azerbaijan[71]
Belarus[71]
Bhutan[71]
Bosnia and Herzegovina[71]
Bulgaria[71]
Burkina Faso[71]
Cambodia[71]
Canada (leased from SkyLink Aviation)[74]
China[71]
Colombia[71]
Congo-Brazzaville[71]
Congo-Kinshasa[71]
Croatia[71]
Cuba[71]
Czech Republic[71]
Djibouti[71]
Egypt[71]
Eritrea[71]
Ethiopia[71]
Georgia[71]
Germany
Guinea[71]
Guinea-Bissau[75]
Hungary
India
Indonesia[76]
Iran[71]
Iraq[71]
Kazakhstan[71]
Kyrgyzstan[71]
Laos[71]
Libya[71]
Lithuania[71]
Maldives[71]
Mexico[71]
Mali[71]
Moldova[71]
Mongolia[71]
Mozambique[71]
Nepal[71]
North Korea[71]
Pakistan[71]
Peru[71]
Poland[71]
Russia[71]
Serbia[71]
Somalia
Sudan[71]
Syria[71]
Transnistria: 5[77][78]
Turkey[79]
Turkmenistan[71]
Tajikistan[71]
Ukraine[71]
United States of America[41]
Uzbekistan[71]
Venezuela[71]
Vietnam[71]
Houthi movement* (captured).[48]
Bangladesh[80] Czechoslovakia[81]
East Germany[82]
Guyana[83]
Latvia[84]
Romania[85]
Slovakia[85]
Serbia and Montenegro[86]
Serbian Krajina[71]
Soviet Union[87]
Yugoslavia[88]
Data fromJane's All The World's Aircraft 1992–93[89]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
The initial version of this article was based on material fromaviation.ru. It has been released under theGFDL by the copyright holder.
