Mil Mi-1 (Hare)

History

Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant has been in the rotor business since the Cold War era, their first notable creation was the Mi-1, NATO codenamed "Hare". About 2,600 of these single-engine, three-seat light utility helicopters were produced from 1950 to 1965 and entered service in 1950.

The Mi-1 was the first helicopter to be mass-produced for the Soviet Union, and production of this type was also started in Poland by WSK PZL-Swidnik under the code name PZL "SM-2".

Mi-1 was originally the product designation "EG-1" introduced by the Soviet Union in the mid-1940s, later improved as "GM-1", powered by an Ivchenko AI-26GE radial engine with up to 550 HP exit . The first flight of the prototype was recorded on September 20, 1948, followed by government trials a year later (at least two prototypes crashed during testing, but that wasn't enough to stop production). Once accepted into service, it received the official designation "Mi-1" and was referred to as the "Type 32" by the U.S.

Department of Defense (DoD). In February 1950, the first 15 units were ordered, and production increased in subsequent years.

The Mi-1M appeared in 1957, which introduced a fourth seat. The roof of the cabin has been raised slightly and the nose has been redesigned. The Mi-1M "Moskvich" adopted by Aeroflot Airlines is equipped with improved passenger sound insulation, an all-metal main rotor assembly and a hydraulic auxiliary control scheme.

The Mi-1MNKh is based on the Mi-1M and is designed to serve a variety of uses in the civilian market.

The Mi-1MG, carrying buoys for water landings, was introduced in 1958, although total production of this model was only two examples. The Mi-1MRK was a prototype version intended for liaison/artillery reconnaissance missions, but was not adopted after testing in the early 1960s.

The Mi-1MU is another one-off model that has been tested with anti-tank missiles.

The Poles produced the Mi-1 locally under license, starting with the SM-1 with the LiT-3 radial piston engine. Then in 1957, the life of the SM-1/600 was extended. In 1960 the SM-1W was introduced, which was the Polish Mi-1M brand. The SM-1Wb was the higher reliability Mi-1M, introduced in 1963. The SM-1WS serves as a medical evacuation mission, while the SM-1WSz is a dual-control trainer.

The SM-1WZ served the agricultural sector, while the SM-2 was developed as a modified SM-1 with an elongated fuselage that could seat up to 5 seats??. The Mi-3 is another (proposed) improvement to the production line and features a four-blade main rotor assembly.

This product was replaced by the PZL W-3 Sokol in the 1980s.

Mi-1 operators ranged from Afghanistan and Albania to Vietnam and Yemen - mostly Soviet allies and supported countries.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes