Mi-6 (helicopter): models, photos, technical characteristics and carrying capacity

The Mi-6 helicopter, the photo of which is below, is a multipurpose heavy model of Soviet manufacture. The first copy of it was built by the Mil Design Bureau in the fifties of the last century. Its code name for NATO's international classification sounds like "Hook".

general description

Mi-6 is a helicopter, the main purpose of which is the transportation of heavy goods, as well as transportation in the folding places (installed on both sides of the board and in the center of the cargo cabin) of passengers in an amount of 65 to 90 people. In addition, there is still a sanitary version of the machine, which provides for the possibility of accommodating 41 patients and two medical personnel in specially equipped armchairs. In order to ensure the transportation of bulky goods on the external suspension, a winch is used here, which is operated by the operator. The model became the first in the history of a serial helicopter equipped with two turbo-power units with a free turbine. It should be noted and the fact that at the time of its creation the helicopter became the most load-bearing on the planet among such machines. When creating models of heavy helicopters in the following years, often it was the Mi-6 design that was used as a basis.

History of development and construction

In the early fifties of the last century, the Soviet Union launched the missile systems known as the "Moon". In order to ensure their transportation, the state needed heavy helicopters, which were characterized by high payloads. To design and build such a machine, the government commissioned the Mile Design Bureau. The design of the model started in late 1952. The model of the new helicopter was ready in a year. After some modifications on June 5, 1957, the Mi-6 test sample was first launched into the air. The helicopter was serially produced at factories in cities in Rostov and Moscow. In total, these enterprises built 860 such machines, made in military and civilian modifications.

Most of the created helicopters came into service in the Soviet Union. Together with this in the period from 1964 to 1978 the model was actively exported abroad. Its main customers are India, Egypt, China, Vietnam, Iraq, Peru, Syria and Ethiopia. In 1980, the serial production of the helicopter was curtailed, and in 2002 the operation of the machine in our country also stopped.

Design

The model is built on a single-screw scheme with a steering screw and a wing. The cargo and passenger compartment is located under the engine and fuel compartments. The reinforced floor is equipped with mooring units, due to which the helicopter is able to transport heavy loads, including military equipment. As for large-sized objects, they are transported with an external suspension capable of withstanding the load of up to 8 tons. The cockpit is located in the bow. The blades of the spindle are made of a metal integral pipe. In order to prevent icing, all the nodes of the machine, which can suffer from this, are equipped with a special system. The model uses a chassis that is supported by three supports and is not retracted. As for the wheels, they are doubled in front, and their orientation is independent.

Main characteristics

Immediately after the model was created, a number of articles appeared in the foreign press, saying that any of the western giants with full load can raise the Mi-6 helicopter without problems. Technical characteristics of the machine, developed more than half a century ago, even today cause a lot of positive feedback from experts. It is equipped with two engines D-25V, the design of which was developed by P. Solovyov. Each of them develops a capacity of 5,500 horsepower. The normal take-off weight of the model is 40.5 tons, while the maximum value of this indicator is 42.5 tons. The cruising speed of the helicopter is 250 km / h. With 8 tons of cargo on board, he is able to overcome the distance of 620 kilometers. When the load decreases, it becomes possible to refuel internal tanks, in connection with which the range of flight increases. Its greatest value reaches a mark of 1,450 kilometers.

Achievements

At the stage of testing, which the helicopter Mi-6 passed between 1959 and 1963, he was set sixteen world records, which made him not only the most load-lifting, but also the fastest helicopter on the planet. The most significant achievements are lifting to a height of 5,600 meters of cargo weighing 5 tons, lifting to a height of more than 2000 meters of cargo weighing 20 tons, developing a flight speed to 340 km / h in a stretch of 100 kilometers and others. It should be noted that the last of the mentioned records remains valid today. Such achievements of the Mile Design Bureau did not go unnoticed - for them it was awarded an international prize named after II. Sikorsky.

The most famous catastrophes

In the history of the helicopter operation there are two serious catastrophes of the Mi-6. The first of them occurred in Novoagansk on January 3, 1984. Then the machine carried out the transportation of passengers and cargo as part of an expedition to explore the oil field. She did not manage to gain the required height, so the helicopter hit the ground and, turning over to the left side, burned down. The tragedy led to the death of 38 passengers. As the results of the investigation of this case showed, the reason for the incident was the excessive weight of the helicopter.

On December 11, 1990, another Mi-6 crashed near the Belarusian town of Corbin. The helicopter made landing in very difficult meteorological conditions. The crew could not cope with the control, which led to the achievement of a critical pitch angle. As a result, the car crashed to the ground and caught fire. All four crew members were then killed by the injuries.

Interesting Facts

At the design stage of the design of the model it was stipulated that its total take-off mass should be 40 tons. The maximum value of this indicator for foreign analogues at that time was 15 tons.

The car became the first helicopter in the USSR equipped with a gas turbine power plant.

Mi-6 is a helicopter, in which for the first time in the history of Soviet aviation construction the possibility of cargo transportation outside the fuselage was embodied.

Helicopters of this model took an active part in the liquidation of the consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe in 1986.

Several copies of the helicopter are now on sites with radioactive equipment, since their use after participating in the above operation would be dangerous.

Mi-62

Separate words deserve another interesting development of the design bureau named after Mil. After the Russian military was equipped with a combat helicopter Mi-28, it received a government order for the development of another model. The main requirement that was put forward before the novelty is that it fully meets the realities of the 21st century. Work on the project started in 2000 and lasted about ten years. The result was that a radically new helicopter, the Mi-62, was born. The principle of his work differs from similar machines produced at the beginning of this century. More specifically, the upper rotor serves exclusively for take-off and landing, and in order for the car to reach cruising speed, the AI-222-25 jet propulsion engines are used. Each of them develops a capacity of 5500 horsepower. Even despite the constant shortage of financial resources, this year the machine was adopted by the Russian army.