Mi-8AMTSh transport and assault helicopter: description, armament

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Helicopters, having first appeared in their modern form, immediately attracted the close attention of both national economy specialists and the military. This was due to their versatility, suitability for use in those conditions where the aircraft were completely useless.

With their help, it was possible to pick up sailors from a sunken ship, and evacuate a landing group directly from the mountainside.

General recognition

The Mi-8AMTSh became especially legendary. This is a real "workhorse", a peacetime and war helicopter. Wherever he was, he always honorably performed all the work assigned to him, very rarely failed and could take out several times more cargo than was indicated in the passport characteristics of the car. Today there is even a version of this helicopter specially adapted to the extremely harsh conditions of the Arctic.

The Mi-8AMTSh model flies all over the world: from Latin America toAfghanistan, from the Arctic to regions with a terribly hot and dry climate. The uniqueness of this helicopter is that even without any special adaptation measures, it works quite normally in all conditions in the usual, "stock" version.

Basic information

Designed to transport people, the external pylons can carry any equipment or strike weapons such as air-to-ground or air-to-air missiles, as well as various aerial bombs. The machine has proven itself ideally both for war and for rescue operations in the most difficult environmental conditions.

The Mi-8AMTSh helicopter was created on the basis of a simple Mi-8AMT. This was done by specialists from the Ulan-Uda Helicopter Plant. For the first time, the new model was demonstrated to the general public in 1999, and at the same time it received the respectful nickname "Terminator", which characterizes the high combat and operational reliability and survivability of the vehicle. Oddly enough, but such a successful model was adopted by the Russian Air Force only ten years later.

Performance features and benefits

Like its predecessors, the Mi-8AMTSh retained excellent capabilities for landing and landing troops. The pilots say that during all the latest local conflicts, the crew needs no more than ten seconds to do this. This greatly increases the survivability of a car that does not have serious armor.

To achieve such impressive performance, the developers used sliding doors and an automatic ramp in the design. But mostAn important difference between this model and the previous ones is the possibility of making full-fledged night flights. Prior to that, in the arsenal of our army, systems that allowed this to be done were, but were too complex, or they sharply increased the load on the pilots. In the "Terminator" all these shortcomings have been completely eliminated.

New equipment

In addition, an important difference is the ability to install the same strike weapons that the Mi-24 is so famous for. Lightweight and durable cermet is used as armor, and avionics has also been completely replaced. On board there is a modern meteorological radar, a complex that allows the use of infrared traps, as well as advanced satellite navigation equipment. The presence of shielded exhaust devices makes the Mi-8AMTSh VA less visible to the targeting equipment for anti-aircraft systems of a potential enemy.

Weapon characteristics

Armament can be placed on four or six pylons. According to information from official representatives of the plant, several B8V20-A units with NURS model S-8 (caliber 80 mm) can act as such, it is possible to install up to two automatic 23-mm guns GSh-23L. In the bow and stern there are machines for attaching any machine guns of 7.62 mm caliber (at the request of the customer). The airborne compartment has regular holders designed to mount individual small arms paratroopers.

Booking Details

Although the Mi-8AMTSh in the instruction manual of whichthe possibility of using it in combat operations has been introduced, in terms of the level of armor and cannot be compared with the Mi-24 mentioned above, it still provides some protection to the crew. The armor covers the bottom and cockpit. There is also a separate armor plate between the cargo compartment and the crew compartment, the shooter's workplace in the aft is also provided with additional armor.

The direct crew of the vehicle includes only three people: commander, navigator and technician. In addition, during the repair and evacuation work, other technical personnel may also be present on board, necessary to perform some specific tasks.

What is a helicopter for?

The vehicle is designed to seriously increase the mobility of all types of ground forces, it can provide full fire support during the battle. The helicopter can operate day and night, practically under any climatic and weather conditions, excluding powerful storms and hurricanes. With its help, the following set of tasks can be performed:

• Landing/landing, including in case of enemy fire resistance.
• Covering troops and providing aerial reconnaissance.
• If NURSs and air bombs were installed on the pylons, the vehicle can destroy command posts, light armored vehicles and accumulations of enemy manpower in the front line.
• The crew can also carry out tasks to destroy the enemy's sea or land landing forces at the time of the landing of the latter.
• On the contrary,the Mi-8AMTSh helicopter is equally successful in supporting the fire of its own landing force, in those conditions when the enemy seeks to destroy the members of the latter.
• Search and rescue of the crews of ships, helicopters and aircraft crashed.
• Evacuation of sick and injured people from areas where there are no roads.

Issue options

To better serve one of the above tasks, the command can use one of the specialized variants of this machine, now mass-produced:

• Airborne modification. In the standard version, up to 20 fully armed soldiers can be seated, and with the installation of additional seats, their number can be increased to 32-34 people.
• Transport modification. If additional fuel tanks are not installed, the machine can carry up to four tons of cargo. There are options with one / two tanks, modifications to carry cargo up to four tons on an external sling, as well as a model with a fully open ramp. The latest modification of the Mi-8AMTSh frame, which is distinguished by its great strength, has repeatedly proven itself in rescue missions in different parts of the world, and only from the good side.
• Strike-assault variant with the weapons options that we have already listed above.
• Sanitary option. There are several modifications that provide for the transportation of up to 17-20 wounded or sick people both on a stretcher and in a combinedway (lying and sitting places).
• Distillation/reconnaissance modification. The helicopter is as light as possible, there are places to install up to two fuel tanks.

Import independence

The great importance of the project is that it is created without regard to foreign components. Prior to the well-known events, this transport and assault helicopter used Ukrainian components in its design, but by now they have been completely replaced by domestic counterparts. Representatives of the Russian Helicopters holding say that the use of domestic developments in many cases makes it possible to achieve better performance, as they are adapted to more severe climatic and operational conditions.

Thus, this large helicopter can rightfully be considered a new chapter in the history of the Russian helicopter industry. For the first time since Soviet times, our country can finally provide itself with the "workhorses" it needs so much without resorting to the help of foreign contractors.