Helicopters Mil Mi-8/17:Mi-8/Mi-17 Hip. The Mi-8/Mi-17 family is undisputedly the most successful design of the Mil Design Bureau. The base model Mi-8 and the improved Mi-17 - also known as the Mi-8MTV - which was developed for operations in "hot and high" conditions are in widespread use worldwide. Thanks to its generous size, the Mi-8 has even found its way to many civilian operators outside the CIS. Numerous Mi-8 serve in Africa and in Latin America, and some can even be found operating in Western Europe, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean.In Russia and the other states of the CIS, the Mi-8/Mi-17 family mainly serves as utility transport aircraft for both civilian operators and the military. For most of the oil and gas companies in Siberia, the Mi-8/Mi-17 even is the vital link to their sites.Although the two versions appear very similar to the observer, the Mi-17 can easily be distinguished from the Mi-8 by two features: While the Mi-8 has its tail rotor on the right hand side of the craft, the Mi-17 has its tail rotor on the left hand side. Furthermore, the Mi-17 has additional filters covering the air intakes of the turbines, while the Mi-8 has uncovered intakes. Technical Data Photos:Role Medium duty helicopter; Engines Mi-8: 2 TV2-117 turbines, 1,500 hp
Mi-17: 2 TV3-117VMA turbines, 2,200 hp
Main rotor diameter, m 21.3
Lenght, m 18.17
Maximum take-off mass, kg 12,000
Empty mass, kg 6,625
Max speed, kmph 250
Cruise speed, kmph Mi-8: 225
Mi-17: 240
Ceiling, m Mi-8: 4,500
Mi-17: 4,900
Range, km Mi-8: 465
Mi-17: 495
Crew, prs 2-3
Passengers 24
Payload Capacity, kg 4,000