Mi-8 Hip

The most produced twin-turbine transport helicopter in history, the Mi-8 Hip (Mi-17 export family) has served as the backbone of Soviet/Russian and allied medium-lift aviation since the late 1960s, with over 10,000 airframes built and a presence on every continent.

Overview

The Mil Mi-8, known to NATO as the Hip, is a medium twin-engine, single-main-rotor helicopter that has dominated global rotary-wing transport for decades. The export Mi-17 family (NATO reporting name Hip-H) is essentially the high-hot-and-powerful evolution of the baseline Mi-8MT. Together they form a ubiquitous platform: troop/cargo carrier, gunship, armed assault, MEDEVAC, and electronic-warfare special-mission helicopter. According to Airforce Technology, well over 10,000 Mi-8/17s have been built, making it the most produced helicopter in the world, in service with over 50 nations.

Development

Initial design work at the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant began in the late 1950s, and the first prototype flew on 7 July 1961, as documented by Wikipedia. The early production Mi-8T entered Soviet service later in the decade, powered by two Klimov TV2-117 turboshafts. A significant upgrade arrived with the Mi-8MT (export Mi-17) in the late 1970s, replacing the engines with the more powerful TV3-117 and relocating the tail rotor to the port side for improved efficiency. The type has remained in uninterrupted production at Kazan and Ulan-Ude ever since, continuously modernised with digital cockpits, new engines (VK-2500), and advanced defensive suites.

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