Mil Mi-17 (Hip-H)

History

The original Mil Mi-8 "Hip" series of medium transport helicopters first flew as a prototype on July 7, 1961, and was introduced in 1967. Since then, more than 17,000 such examples have been produced, and the series remains active today (2015) in the inventory of many aviation services.

The Mi-17 "Hip" model - based on the Mi-8M/MT variant used by the Soviet-Russian military - was developed with export in mind and adopted by more than two dozen countries around the world. The Mi-17 model made its first flight in 1975 and was introduced in 1981.

About 12,000 aircraft have been produced since 1977, with production shared between the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and the Kazan Helicopter Plant.

Externally, the Mi-17 product shares many of the same features as its predecessor, including a good glass cockpit providing good visibility, sliding side door access with a rear loading ramp, and fixed-wheel tricycle landing gear. One noticeable difference is the tail rotor mount, which now faces to starboard instead of port.

The cockpit area was improved with additional armor, the larger Klimov TV3-117VM turboshaft engine had higher power - the main rotor and gearbox were based on those developed for the Mi-14.

In addition to its traditional role as a personnel/cargo transport aircraft, the Mi-17 can also be equipped in the role of a combat helicopter, usually via a multi-launch rocket pod mounted on a short-wing bracket. Other versions have been equipped for Search and Rescue (SAR), VIP/General Personnel Transport, High Altitude Flight, Medical Evacuation, Electronic Warfare (EW) and Airborne Command Post (CP). It has operated quite a bit in active theaters from Cambodia and India/Pakistan to Colombia, Macedonia and Sri Lanka.

The Mi-17 was used by both sides of the Libyan Civil War (2011), and the rebuilding Afghan Air Force relied heavily on its Mi-17 fleet.

Operators currently range from Afghanistan and Argentina to Sri Lanka and Thailand. China began locally licensed production of the Mi-17 in May 2008, and despite its Cold War roots, the Mi-17 is still common today, with some countries still considering ordering the model.

The base name for this line is Mi-17, which NATO refers to as "Hip-H". The model based on the Mi-8AMT is the Mi-17-1 for export. The Mi-17-1M is its high-altitude performance equivalent. The Mi-17-1VA is used in the air hospital, while the Mi-17-2 is the Mi-8MTV-2.

Mi-8MTV-3 became Mi-17V-3 and Mi-8MTV-5 became Mi-17V-5. The Mi-17V-7 is equipped with a VK-2500 engine and its loading ramp has been replaced by a flap door. The Mi-17M was the test bed for the later Mi-17MD (Mi-17V-5). New avionics welcome Mi-7KF. Brings night combat support to the Mi-17N.

General passenger service is via the Mi-17P variant. The Mi-8MTG became the export Mi-17PG. Mi-17S is used as a VIP passenger model. Various other designs were added to the Mi-17 series.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes