Mil Mi-6

Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant

Industry	Aerospace, Helicopter manufacturing
Founded	1947
Headquarters	Moscow , Soviet Union / Russia
Products	Mil Mi-6 and other helicopters

Template:Infobox aircraft The Mil Mi-6 (NATO reporting name Hook), internally designated as izdeliye 50 and also known as the V-6 by its manufacturer, is a heavy-lift helicopter developed by the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant in the Soviet Union/Russia. Produced extensively for both military and civilian roles, it held the distinction of being the largest helicopter in active production until the introduction of the Mil Mi-26 in 1980.

Design and development

The Mi-6 emerged from a combined civil and military demand for a substantial vertical-lift aircraft capable of enhancing operational mobility and supporting the development of remote regions across central and eastern USSR. Its maiden flight took place on 5 June 1957, marking it as the first Soviet production helicopter powered by turboshaft engines.

The project incorporated an R-7 gearbox and rotor head assembly weighing approximately 3,200 kg, exceeding the combined mass of its two turboshaft powerplants.

In 1960, variable-incidence winglets were introduced to the sides of 30 pre-production models. These winglets contribute roughly 20% of the lift during cruise conditions.

At the time of its design between 1954 and 1956, the Mi-6 was unmatched globally in size, capable of carrying a maximum payload of 12,000 kg. It also set speed benchmarks as the fastest helicopter worldwide, reaching up to 300 km/h. Early in its operational history, it established numerous records including a closed-circuit speed record of 340 km/h. As of 2013, it retains the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale record for fastest flight over a closed circuit of 1,000 km while carrying a 5-tonne payload at an average speed of 284 km/h, set in 1962.

Between 1959 and 1972, over 500 units were manufactured serving roles such as general transport, utility missions, firefighting, and flying crane operations. The latter two variants omitted the large fixed wings present on other versions that provide partial lift during cruise and enable higher speeds. The landing gear includes twin nose wheels and sizable low-pressure main wheels which remain fixed and do not retract.

Typically operated by a crew exceeding five personnel, the Mi-6 can accommodate up to 65 armed soldiers or alternatively transport 41 stretcher-bound patients along with two medical attendants. It is capable of carrying various bulky cargoes including vehicles loaded through rear clamshell doors. During military exercises, groups of these helicopters have transported diverse weaponry such as FROG-7 rockets mounted on PT-76 tracked platforms, large radar systems, and heavy artillery pieces. All Soviet armored personnel carriers, armored cars, and light mechanized infantry combat vehicles fit within its cargo capacity.

The Mi-6 was officially withdrawn from service in October 2002 following the revocation of its Type Certificate by the CIS Interstate Aviation Committee after an accident involving RA-21074 over the Taimyr Peninsula. Additionally, reports indicated that wooden tail rotor blades had reached their operational lifespan limits.

Variants

File:Mi-6.jpg

A Mil Mi-6.

Source: Mil's heavy-lift helicopters: Mi-6, Mi-10, V-12, and Mi-26

izdeliye 50

Denotes the product or article number assigned to the V-6 prototype.

V-6

(Zavod No.329 Moscow) Initial prototype series.

Mi-6

(NATO reporting name – Hook-A) Heavy-lift helicopter designed for both civilian and military transport roles.

Mi-6A

Troop transport and commercial cargo variants built to an updated baseline standard featuring enhanced reliability and modern avionics.

Mi-6AYa

(NATO – Hook-D) OKB designation for airborne command post variants Mi-6VzPU and Mi-22, equipped with SLAR.

Mi-6APS

(PS – poiskovo-spasahtel'nyy – search and rescue) A limited series of SAR helicopters converted from the Mi-6A standard.

Mi-6ATZ

(TZ – toplivo-zapravshchik – fuel tanker) Variant of the Mi-6A adapted for fuel transport missions.

Mi-6 Boorlak

(boorlak meaning barge hauler) Prototype anti-submarine warfare/minesweeping helicopters developed for ASW equipment testing, ultimately cancelled due to delays in mission system delivery.

Mi-6BUS

(NATO – Hook-C) Also known as Mi-6AYa and Mi-22, this is the 1975 airborne command post helicopter variant.

Mi-6L

Also referred to as Mi-6LL (Letayushchaya laboratoriya), a flying laboratory powered by D-25VF engines utilized for flight performance enhancements of the Mi-6 and as a test platform for the Mi-12 powerplant.

Mi-6M

(M – morskoy – maritime) Anti-submarine variant armed with four aerial torpedoes and ASW rockets, equipped with experimental ASW systems; first produced in 1963 and modified in 1965 under the "Barge Hauler" program.

Mi-6M

(M – modifitseerovannyy – modified) Proposed redesign intended to carry 11 to 22 t (11,000 to 22,000 kg; 24,000 to 49,000 lb) over 800 km (500 mi), cancelled due to limitations imposed by the specified five-bladed rotor design.

Mi-6P

(P – passazheerskiy – passenger) Passenger transport version accommodating up to 80 passengers; one prototype converted from a standard Mi-6.

Mi-6PP

(PP – postanovshchik pomekh – ECM platform) Prototype electronic countermeasures aircraft designed to shield air-defense radars from hostile ECM or ELINT threats.

Mi-6PR

(Protivodeystviya Radiorazvedke) Developed in 1962 as a jammer/electronic warfare variant.

Mi-6PRTBV

(podvizhnaya raketno-tekhnicheskaya baza vertlyotnovo tipa) Several units modified into mobile missile maintenance bases and missile transporters.

Mi-6PS

(PS – poiskovo-spasahtel'nyy – search and rescue) SAR helicopter created in 1966 specifically for retrieval of landed Vostok and Soyuz capsules.

Mi-6PSA

Alternate designation found in some sources for the Mi-6APS variant.

Mi-6PZh

(PZh – pozharnyy – firefighting) Firefighting version featuring a 12,000 L (2,639.63 imp gal; 3,170.06 US gal) tank inside the cabin plus six external 1,500 L (329.95 imp gal; 396.26 US gal) bags suspended beneath the fuselage. The sole prototype crashed in France while combating a fire shortly after exhibiting at the 27th Paris Air Show.

File:Mi-6 helicopter-riga.jpg

An Mi-6 at Riga, Latvia

Mi-6PZh2

Second firefighting prototype along with multiple conversions equipped with a steerable water cannon mounted in the nose section.

Mi-6R

(R – Retranslyator) Specialized radio relay helicopter developed in 1974, limited to prototype conversions only.

Mi-6RVK

(RVK – raketno-vertolyotny kompleks) Tested in 1965 carrying mobile missile systems such as 9K53, 9K73, 9M21 Luna-MV, or 8K114.

Mi-6S

Medical evacuation model capable of transporting up to 41 stretchers.

Mi-6T

(NATO – Hook-A) Military transport helicopter seating up to 70 personnel on tip-up seats along cabin sides, plus additional centerline seating.

Mi-6TP

Convertible helicopter designed for both cargo and passenger transport roles.

Mi-6TZ

(TZ – toplivo-zapravshchik) Fuel tanker variant intended to refuel vehicles and helicopters on the ground.

Mi-6TZ-SV

(TZ-SV – toplivo-zapravshchik – sookhoputnyye voyska) Fuel tanker version dedicated to refueling ground vehicles for land forces.

Mi-6VR

(VR - Vodoley meaning Aquarius) Research helicopter for water spraying tests aimed at evaluating helicopter anti-icing systems.

Mi-6VKP

(NATO – Hook-B) Command post transport helicopter variant designed to deploy communication facilities and a war room on the ground, not operable during flight.

Mi-6VUS

(NATO – Hook-D) Airborne command post equipped with SLAR.

Mi-6VzPU

(NATO – Hook-D) Service designation for the Mi-6AYa airborne command post fitted with SLAR, which entered service as the Mi-22.

Mi-6?

Developed in 1962 with a collapsible BU-75BRM drilling rig intended for oil exploration in Siberia, exact model designation unknown.

Mi-6?

Experimental missile fuel transport variant supplementing the Mi-6PRTBV role.

Mi-6?

Experimental conversion conducted in 1976 to test rotor systems later used on the Mil Mi-26.

Mi-22

Air Force designation assigned to the Mi-6AYa/VzPU airborne command post helicopters.

Operators

File:Mil Mi-6A, UTair Aviation AN1684257.jpg

An Mi-6 operated by UTair Aviation

Military operators

Previous users:

Template:Country data Democratic Republic of AfghanistanTemplate:Namespace detect showall Democratic Republic of AfghanistanTemplate:Fix/category

• Afghan Air Force
• Afghan Army

Template:ALG

• Algerian Air Force

Template:Country data BLRTemplate:Namespace detect showall / Template:BLR

• Belarus Air Force

Template:CHN

• People's Liberation Army

Template:Country data Federation of Arab Republics / Template:EGY

• Egyptian Air Force

Template:Country data ETHTemplate:Namespace detect showall Derg / Template:Country data People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

• Ethiopian Air Force

Template:Country data IDNTemplate:Namespace detect showall New Order (Indonesia)

File:EAFMilMi6.jpg

Egyptian Air Force Mil Mi-6 exhibited at the Air Force museum in Almaza Air Base, Cairo.

• Indonesian Air Force

Template:Country data Ba'athist Iraq

• Iraqi Air Force

Template:KAZ

• Kazakh Air Force

Template:LAO

• Laotian Air Force

Template:PAK

• Pakistan Army

Template:Country data Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces of Peru / Template:Country data PERTemplate:Namespace detect showall Republic of Peru (1980–2000)

• Peruvian Air Force
• Peruvian Army

Template:Country data PPRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Polish People's Republic

• Polish Air Force

Template:Country data RUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall / Template:RUS

File:Mil Mi-6 CCCP-06174 LEB 19.06.65 edited-3.jpg

A Mil Mi-6 belonging to Aeroflot at the 1965 Paris Air Show

• Russian Air Force

Template:UKR

• Ukrainian Air Force

Template:USSR

• Aeroflot
• Soviet Air Force

Template:Country data North Vietnam / Template:VNM

• Vietnamese Air Force

Specifications (Mi-6)

File:Mil Mi-6 HOOK.png

External links

• Cockpit pictures