MIL MI-8: THE MOST PRODUCED HELICOPTER IN HISTORY

When the Mi-8 was first displayed at the 1965 Paris Air Show, it created a sensation. Western analysts had long considered Soviet technology inferior to that of the West, but the comments about the Mi-8 were mainly positive.

- — JOSEPH NORONHA

THE MIL MI-8 IS A VERSATILE, MEDIUM-LIFT, TWIN-TURBINE helicopter, in widespread use in both military and civilian roles, particularly as a transport helicopter. It holds the distinction of being the most produced helicopter ever. The design of this iconic machine was drawn up in the 1950s by the Mil Design Bureau, headed by Mikhail Mil. Mil believed that gas turbine engines would revolutionise helicopter construction and make a breakthrough both in flight performance and economic efficiency. During over six decades of production, perhaps 17,000 Mi-8s have been delivered to around 80 countries worldwide. 'Eights', as they are colloquially called, are still being built, and continue in service all over the world. Both Russia and Ukraine utilise them in their ongoing conflict.

The Mi-8 story began with Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev who, on a visit to the USA in September 1959, was taken on a trip aboard the US presidential helicopter. This was the age of intense superpower rivalry, when the refrain was, "Anything you can do, I can do better!" Khrushchev wanted something to impress the US president on his reciprocal visit to the Soviet Union. In the meantime, the Soviet military, was also planning a new and better machine to replace the existing Mi-4. Consequently, a team of developers soon got to work on the proposed helicopter.