The Mil and Kamov helicopter center completed the R&D to upgrade Mi-8MTV-5-1 helicopter. The Russian Helicopters Holding said the upgraded rotorcraft meets all modern requirements of the army aviation, TASS reports. Close to 100 Mi-8 modifications have been produced since the 1960s. The helicopter is exported to over 80 countries. The mi-8 design was so successful that its production and upgrade did not stop.

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Mil Mi-8MTV-5 of the Russian Air Force (Picture source: Wikimedia)

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu visited the Kazan Helicopter Plant (KVZ) in late August 2021 and inspected the upgraded option of the Mi-8MTV-5-1 military-transport helicopter which has been supplied to the army and law enforcers since 2011. The helicopter can engage in various missions, transport 4 tons of cargo, and participate in rescue operations. The crew of Mi-8MTV-5-1 can easily operate in complete darkness. The cockpit is equipped with lights and together with night vision goggles allows flying at a low altitude in the dark, taking off and landing on unequipped sites.

Mi-8MTV-5-1 has a bigger left door. A hydraulic ramp replaced the standard manually opened door and accelerated the loading and unloading time. The defense minister inspected the new Mi-8MTV-5M with the latest onboard equipment comprising a multi-functional display, a digital autopilot, modern communications, and TA-14 auxiliary power plant of the Russian make.

Mi-8MTV-5M can also fly in the dark with night-vision goggles. Its navigational and weather control systems are integrated into a single information field. Modern communications are unified for all helicopters supplied to the Defense Ministry and provide data exchange between the craft. Mi-8MTV-5-1 can be upgraded to the level of Mi-8MTV-5M. “Further modernization plans for Mi-8/17 military-transport helicopters will improve characteristics due to a new lifting system. The helicopters will have Mi-38 blades with an X-shaped torque rotor. The blades were tested on Mi-8 when Mi-38 was designed. The technical solution has been tested and will be introduced into batch production,” KVZ Managing Director Alexey Belykh said.

Batch production of Mi-8AMTSh-VA was launched in 2015 by Ulan-Ude Aircraft Plant (U-UAZ). The modification was designed for the Arctic and the Extreme North. It has a heating system for mechanisms, which ensures a quick engine start-up even in minus 60 degrees Centigrade. Mi-8AMTSh-VA also has better heat insulation of the fuselage.

Additional fuel tanks increase the range to 1,400 km. Marine live suits are carried to ensure the safety of the crew and passengers. “The helicopters of the modification have spent several thousand hours in the Arctic sky and properly performed in harsh northern conditions. The unique heating system of the transmission helps rapidly start up the engines in bitter frost, which is important for emergency sorties of rescuers,” U-UAZ Managing Director Alexey Kozlov said.

The first contract to deliver four Arctic helicopters to the Emergencies Ministry was signed at the Eastern Economic Forum.

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