Mil Mi-1
| Company type | Helicopter |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 1946 |
| Founder | Mikhail Mil |
| Headquarters | Tushino , Soviet Union |
| Products | Light utility helicopters |
The Mil Mi-1 (known by the USAF/DoD as "Type 32", and designated by NATO as "Hare") was a Soviet light utility helicopter accommodating three or four occupants. Marking a milestone as the first helicopter to be mass-produced in the USSR, it was powered by a single 575 hp (429 kW) Ivchenko AI-26V radial piston engine. Entering operational service in 1950 and publicly unveiled during the 1951 Soviet Aviation Day at Tushino, production continued for 16 years. Over 1,000 units were manufactured within the Soviet Union, alongside an additional 1,594 built in Poland under the name SM-1.
Development
Before 1930, Mikhail Mil initiated work on rotary-wing aircraft; however, the Mi-1 represented his first helicopter to reach production, with development commencing in 1946 under the designation EG-1. In 1947, after Mil assumed leadership of the OKB-4 design bureau in Tushino, efforts intensified. The finalized design was labeled GM-1 (short for Gyelikopter Mila, meaning Mil's Helicopter). Soviet engineers aimed to develop a fully original configuration, creating a rotor hub featuring separated vertical and horizontal hinges. This innovation enhanced control efficiency and simplified mechanisms compared to American counterparts. The prototype achieved its maiden free flight on 20 September 1948, piloted by Mikhail Baikalov. Official state trials followed in 1949. Despite two prototype crashes—one on 24 November 1948 where Baikalov ejected safely, and another fatal accident on 7 March 1949—the overall design proved successful. Subsequent refinements led to production approval under the new designation Mi-1, reflecting Mil’s initials. Initial manufacturing was limited; only fifteen units were commissioned on 21 February 1950 at Factory No.3 in Moscow. Following a presentation to Joseph Stalin in 1951, production was expanded. Between 1952 and 1953, thirty Mi-1s were produced in Kazan, with mass production beginning in Orenburg from 1954 and later at Rostov (now Rostvertol) starting in 1956. Throughout its production span, the design underwent continuous enhancements primarily aimed at boosting reliability—especially as rotor technology evolved. Maintenance intervals extended progressively: the Mi-1T model reached a 300-hour overhaul period (hence ‘T’ for trekhsotchasovoi), followed by the Mi-1A with a 600-hour interval, eventually achieving up to 3,000 hours before production ceased.
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Initial versions featured a cockpit layout with the pilot seated upfront and two passengers behind within a shared cabin space. The earliest production model, simply designated Mi-1, was soon superseded by the enhanced Mi-1T, which incorporated additional operational equipment such as comprehensive radio systems and instruments for blind flying, alongside a more dependable AI-26V engine. Subsequently, the Mi-1A variant emerged in 1957 with further reliability improvements and capability to carry an external fuel tank of 160 liters.
A significant upgrade arrived with the Mi-1M variant introduced in 1957, which included an expanded cabin and a more powerful AI-26VF engine enabling seating for three passengers on a bench behind the pilot. Cabin dimensions increased—height from 1.22 m to 1.26 m and width from 1.01 m to 1.2 m—with design modifications such as horizontal lower window lines replacing slanted ones, larger rear side windows, and a less pointed nose section of the fuselage. This version could also be equipped with two external side pods intended for casualty evacuation or mail transport. In 1961, trials were conducted on an armed anti-tank version known as Mi-1MU, recognized as the Soviet Union’s first attack helicopter; however, it did not enter mass production due to limited payload capacity and termination of basic model manufacturing.
More than one thousand units encompassing all variants were produced within the Soviet Union, including several dual-control trainer models (denoted by suffix ‘U’) like Mi-1U, TU, AU, and MU, featuring an instructor seated behind the trainee pilot. Production figures include fifteen built in Moscow during 1950, thirty in Kazan between 1952–1953, five hundred ninety-seven units made in Orenburg from 1954 to 1958, and three hundred seventy produced in Rostov between 1956–1960. Starting in 1956, licensed manufacturing of the four-seat version began at Poland’s WSK PZL-Świdnik, where a total of 1,594 units were constructed through to 1965 under the designation SM-1. Several new models were further developed at Świdnik including the five-seat SM-2 featuring an entirely redesigned fuselage.
The Mi-1 and its Polish counterpart SM-2 set multiple international records within their class during their operational tenure.
Variants
- GM-1
- The initial designation for the Mil Mi-1 prototype helicopters, equipped with an AI-26GR 500–550 hp (370–410 kW) radial engine, later upgraded to the AI-26GRF model.
- Mi-1
- The first production variant, a three-seat light utility helicopter accommodating one pilot and two passengers, powered by a 575 hp AI-26GRF radial piston engine.
- Mi-1T
- A three-seat transport helicopter designed for general use, featuring a pilot and two passenger seats, and driven by an AI-26V radial piston engine.
- Mi-1KR (TKR)
- A light reconnaissance and liaison model introduced in 1956, derived from the Mi-1T platform.
- Mi-1NKh
- A three-seat multipurpose utility helicopter based on the Mi-1T, intended for roles such as agricultural applications, medical evacuation, passenger transport, mail delivery, and cargo operations (NKh stands for narodnoye khozyastvo—National Economy).
- Mi-1A
- Released in 1957, this three-seat general transport helicopter featured enhanced reliability while maintaining seating for a pilot and two passengers.
- Mi-1AKR
- A light reconnaissance and liaison helicopter variant developed from the Mi-1A.
- Mi-1U/TU/AU/MU
- Variants designed for dual-control training purposes corresponding to the basic Mi-1, T, A, and M models respectively.
- Mi-1M
- A four-seat light utility helicopter introduced in 1957, accommodating one pilot and three passengers. Notable modifications include a raised cabin roof, a more rounded nose profile, and horizontally aligned lower windows replacing the previous slanted design.
- Mi-1M Moskvich
- Civilian transport version tailored for Aeroflot, featuring improved cabin sound insulation, hydraulic flight controls, and an all-metal rotor system.
- Mi-1MNKh
- A four-seat multipurpose utility model based on the Mi-1M platform. It was developed for diverse tasks such as agricultural use, air ambulance service, passenger conveyance, mail transport, and freight operations (NKh—narodnoye khozyastvo—National Economy).
- Mi-1MG
- A float-equipped adaptation of the Mi-1M designed for deployment on whaling vessels in 1958; only two units were produced.
- Mi-1MRK
- A prototype liaison helicopter based on the Mi-1M (razvedyvatelno-korrektirovochnoi—reconnaissance-artillery correction), which underwent testing between 1960 and 1962.
- Mi-1MU
- A prototype armed version evaluated from 1961 onwards, capable of carrying four 3M11 Falanga (AT-2) or six 9M14 Malyutka (AT-3) anti-tank guided missiles.
- SM-1 (SM-1/300)
- The Polish-manufactured variant powered by a LiT-3 radial piston engine. This Mil Mi-1 was produced under license by WSK PZL-Świdnik in Poland.
- SM-1/600
- A Polish-produced version introduced in 1957 with an extended service life of 600 hours (factory designation).
- SM-1Sz
- A dual-control trainer variant produced in Poland.
- SM-1W
- Polish-built version of the Mi-1M model from 1960.
- SM-1Wb
- An improved Polish production of the Mi-1M from 1963 featuring increased reliability with an 800-hour service life (factory designation).
- SM-1WS
- Configured as an air ambulance helicopter.
- SM-1WSz
- Dual-control trainer variant within Polish production.
- SM-1WZ
- An agricultural helicopter variant manufactured in Poland.
- SM-2
- A Polish-developed enhanced model featuring a lengthened fuselage that accommodates one pilot plus four passengers.
- Mi-3
- An upgraded version incorporating a four-bladed main rotor. The designation was later reused for a planned Mi-2 derivative.
Operators
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Specifications (SM-1W)
See also
References
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- Grzegorzewski, Jerzy: Śmigłowiec Mi-1, Typy Broni i Uzbrojenia nr.38, MON, Warsaw, 1975 (in Polish)
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- Mil
External links
- Drawings of Mi-1 variants Archived 2009-02-26 at the Wayback Machine
- Walkaround Mi-1 (Kiev's Aviation Museum, Ukraine)
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- Helicopter history
- Military helicopters
- Mil aircraft
- 1940s Soviet military utility aircraft
- 1940s Soviet helicopters
- Single-engined piston helicopters
- Aircraft first flown in 1948
- Single-rotor helicopters
- Aircraft with fixed tricycle landing gear