Mil Mi-38

History of Mil Mi-38

Mil's Moscow Helicopter Plant has a long history in the design and development of rotorcraft, its first successful production venture was the Mi-1 in 1948. Today, Mil introduces its latest development - the Mi-38 - designed to fly in the crowded and lucrative civil and military medium transport helicopter market, designed to be comparable in scope and functionality to Europe's AgustaWestland AW101/EH101 Merlin comparable.

The first Mi-38 prototype flew for the first time on December 22, 2003, and three prototypes have since been completed, with mass production scheduled to begin in 2013. The production of the aircraft is carried out by the Kazan Helicopter Plant (Kazan Helicopters) outside the Republic of Tatarstan.

The company has experience in manufacturing other well-known Mir helicopters, including the Mi-8 and Mi-17 series transport aircraft.

The final form of the Mi-38 will be an all-glass digital cockpit (the prototype pushes a rather boring and very traditional setup with a needle-like display), with a high degree of automation for single-pilot capability (though two Crew of people will continue to be the standard arrangement). System and task displays are presented in full color with push-button accessibility. Externally, the Mi-38 will have a more "western" style compared to previous Mil products, with a good overall profile and an aerodynamically friendly shape. As usual, the cockpit is located at the very forward end of the fuselage (dominated by the framing window arrangement), with the passenger/cargo compartment just aft of the cockpit and below the twin-engine unit. Based on the available images, the landing gear appears to be stationary and not retractable.

This arrangement would consist of a pair of single-wheeled main legs and a two-wheeled front leg. General access is through a traditional rectangular folding/dropping door that doubles as a stair ramp, while the special transport version features a larger rectangular door along the starboard side and a large power loading ramp under the tail for unobstructed access into the hull.

Mil plans to offer the Mi-38 in three different production versions - VIP, MEDEVAC and general supply transport. The VIP passenger class offers luxury seating for up to 12 people and the ferry has a range of 700 km. In the MEDEVAC role, interior cabins will be arranged to accommodate up to 16 medical stretchers and light personnel. The universal transport variant will be a multi-role performer, expected to play the role of a passenger ship or cargo carrier, and will likely also be marketed to interested militaries. In the first role, the interior cabin will be designed for about 30 passengers, with a ferry range of about 450 kilometers.

In the latter role, the internal configuration will allow for cargo adjustments of up to 5 tons, and carry a further 7 tons under the hull via the sling method. In addition to its featured role, the adaptability of the Mi-38 airframe will be key to its long-term success.

It will be configurable for functions such as Search and Rescue (SAR), water personnel transport (for repairing offshore rigs, etc.), and will be able to operate in all-weather day/night environments thanks to advanced onboard systems. [ /p]

The Mi-38 airframe will contain two different engine configurations to expand its global appeal - one with 2 Klimov TV7-117V turboshafts, the other with 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127/TS Turboshaft Engines - Optionally available with 2,800 SHP each. This allows Mil to market its new helicopter to historical Soviet-Russian customers or Western customers with experience with U.S. Pratt & Whitney engines.

These engines will power a large six-bladed main rotor blade (composite construction) and a pair of two-bladed tail rotors, one mounted on top of the other (and in a four-bladed arrangement). Kazan claims its Mi-38 has a top speed of 285 km/h and a cruising speed of 275 km/h.

With additional fuel tanks, the ferry will have a range of 1,300 kilometers. The maximum service ceiling is 5,100 meters and the suspended ceiling is 2,800 meters.

After a considerable development phase, the current (2013) Mi-38 project appears to be gaining momentum and will be offered to interested customers during the year. At the time of writing, the Mi-38 has not received an official NATO codename (2016).

December 2015 / January 2016 - Announced that the Mi-38, which has been in testing since 2003, has received type approval in Russia. Quantitative production of large helicopters is planned to start before the end of this year (2016).

July 2017 At MAKS 2017, the Russian Air Force authorities announced a plan to procure 15 MiL 38 helicopters by 2020. Initially, two vehicles will be purchased, which will be passenger vehicles with 30 seats.

August 2017 Kazan Helicopters began assembling the Mi-38T production prototype.

October 2017 - Russian military shows greater interest in militarized variants of Mi-38 products. These include electronic warfare (EW) and medical evacuation models. A possible gunship-oriented variant is also welcome.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes