Mil Mi-4
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| Mi-4 | |
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 Mil Mi-4 at Prague Aviation Museum |
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| Type | Transport helicopter |
| Manufacturer | Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant |
| Maiden flight | August 1952 |
| Introduced | 1953 |
| Status | Limited active service |
| Primary users | Soviet Air Force Polish Air Force |
| Produced | 1951-1969 |
| Number built | over 3,500 |
| Variants | Harbin Z-5 |
The Mil Mi-4 (originally known to US intelligence as the Type-36 and later by the NATO reporting name "Hound") was a Soviet transport helicopter that served in both military and civilian roles.
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[edit] Design and development
The Mi-4 was designed in response to the American H-19 Chickasaw and the deployment of U.S. helicopters during the Korean War. While the Mi-4 superficially resembles the H-19 Chickasaw, it is a larger helicopter and is able to lift more weight. The first model entered service in 1952 and replaced the Mi-1. The helicopter was first displayed to the outside world in 1952 at the Soviet Aviation Day in Tushino.
One Mi-4 was built with a jettisonable rotor.
[edit] Operational history
The Mi-4 went out of service with the development of the Mi-8. It is not used by the Russian Air Force today, though it remains in service in some countries as a utility helicopter or a military transport. The Mi-4 played a very important role in Bangladesh liberation war of 1971. The Mi-4 was the workhorse of the Indian Army at the time. A highly successful heli-borne operation using Mi-4's helped the Indian Army's 57 Mountain Division clear the mighty Meghna river. The helilift of a battalion of Indian troops to the outskirts of Sylhet were the first heli-borne operation of the Indian army.
[edit] Variants
- Mi-4 (NATO - Hound-A)
- Basic production version.
- Mi-4A
- Assault transport helicopter.
- Mi-4L Lyukes
- Six-seat VIP transport version, sometimes converted into an air ambulance helicopter.
- Mi-4M (NATO - Hound-C)
- Armed close-support helicopter, fitted with a gun turret.
- Mi-4P
- Civil transport helicopter, with accommodation for between 8 and 11 passengers, plus eight strechers and a medical attendant for air ambulance duties.
- Mi-4PL (NATO - Hound-B)
- Anti-submarine warfare helicopter.
- Mi-4S Salon
- VIP transport helicopter.
- Mi-4Skh
- Multi-role agricultural helicopter, with a large chemical container in the main cabin. Also used as a fire-fighting helicopter.
- Mi-4T
- Major military production version, equipped with a large diameter main rotor and bulged windows.
- Harbin Z-5
- Chinese military transport helicopter. Chinese production version.
- Xuanfeng
- Chinese civil transport helicopter. Chinese production version.
[edit] Operators
[edit] Military operators
Afghanistan- 18 acquired by the Royal Afghan Air Force from 1963, withdrawing the last from service in 1997[1].
Albania- 59 total examples acquired by the Albanian Air Force from 1957, including 37 Z-5 versions from 1967. These were reported in service as late as 2004[1].
Algeria
Angola
Bulgaria
Cambodia
China
Cuba
Czechoslovakia
East Germany
Egypt
Finland- 3 units were in service with the Finnish Air Force from 1962-1979.
Guinea-Bissau
Hungary
India
Indonesia
Iraq
Kyrgyzstan
Mali
Mongolia
North Korea
Poland
Romania
Somalia
South Yemen
Soviet Union
Tajikistan
Syria
Sudan
Vietnam
Yemen
Yugoslavia- 25 acquired by the SFR Yugoslav Air Force during the middle 1960's, lather replaced by Mi-8 and withdrawn from service during the 1970's.
[edit] Civil Operators
[edit] Specifications (Mi-4A)
General characteristics
- Crew: One or two pilots
- Capacity: 16 troops or up to 1,600 kg (3,520 lb) of cargo
- Length: 26.80 m (87 ft 11 in)
- Rotor diameter: 21.00 m (68 ft 11 in)
- Height: 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in)
- Disc area: 346.4 m² (3,727 ft²)
- Empty weight: 5,100 kg (11,220 lb)
- Loaded weight: 7,150 kg (15,730 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 7,550 kg (16,610 lb)
- Powerplant: 1× Shvetsov ASh-82V radial engine, 1,250 kW (1,675 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 185 km/h (116 mph)
- Range: 500 km (313 mi)
- Service ceiling 5,500 m (18,040 ft)
- Rate of climb: m/s (ft/min)
- Disc loading: 41 kg/m² (8 lb/ft²)
- Power/mass: 0.21 kW/kg (0.13 hp/lb)
[edit] See also
Comparable aircraft
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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The initial version of this article was based on material from aviation.ru. It has been released under the GFDL by the copyright holder.
