Mig 21 technical specifications. Aircraft control system
An outstanding figure in the Soviet helicopter industry, General Designer Mikhail Leontievich Mil, while studying the history of military art, drew attention to the fact that since ancient times there has been a tendency to increase the mobility and combat equipment of ground forces. The next step on this path was the development in the 60s. infantry fighting vehicles, equipped, in contrast to an unarmed vehicle and a lightly armed armored personnel carrier, with a whole complex of multi-purpose weapons. Mil saw a further increase in the mobility of ground forces in the transition to airborne infantry fighting vehicles, i.e. well-armed transport and combat helicopters with high performance characteristics and combat survivability, designed for transportation and fire support of a rifle squad.
At that time, the idea of air mobility of troops was very fashionable and was widely discussed in the specialized literature. Big influence Mil was influenced by the book of the American General Montross, Air Cavalry, published in 1957. The prospects for the development of the army deployed in it helicopter aviation after some time they were embodied in American program UTTAS (Multipurpose Tactical Transport aircraft), a kind of flying armored personnel carrier. In contrast to this concept, which required the addition of a flying tank, created under the DAN (advanced combat helicopter), a Soviet aircraft designer in the first half of the 60s. A completely original system was developed that combines both concepts in one device. In those years, there was no helicopter capable of transporting a squad of soldiers in the Soviet air assault brigades, because... The Mi-4 was soon to be written off, the Mi-2 turned out to be unsuccessful, and the creation of the Mi-22 (a kind of analogue of the Iroquois) was abandoned in favor of a heavier and well-armed device. It was assumed that the new machine would become the main army helicopter of the USSR for the coming decades.
Something similar was proposed by I.I. Sikorsky’s company when developing its S-67. But the United States had already launched large-scale production of the successful UH-1 Iroquois light helicopter, and no other means of transporting a squad of soldiers was required. Therefore, the Americans chose to supplement the Iroquois attack helicopter AN-1 Cobra, later replacing them with the duo UH-60 Black Hawks AN-64 Apache.
Mil OKB had accumulated considerable experience in building armed helicopters, and the chief designer confidently proposed his concept to the command of the Armed Forces Soviet Union. He found allies among young military theorists from the Air Force Research Institutes and the Academy Ground Forces. But there were also opponents, mainly high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Defense, headed by Minister Marshal R.Ya. Malinovsky, who preferred more traditional means of armed struggle to combat helicopters. In 1967, Mil managed to persuade First Deputy Minister Marshal A.A. Grechko, who was sympathetic to the idea of an armed helicopter, to hold a scientific and technical council on this problem. Speaking to members of the NTS, the chief designer used impressive posters prepared by his staff. He covered all the main issues in detail, delving into purely military problems in such detail that even Grechko, who treated him favorably, could not resist and asked Mikhail Leontyevich to leave at least something for military specialists to study. Their reviews were very varied, including sharply negative ones. Thus, the head of the Main Political Directorate, Army General A.A. Epishev, stated: It is necessary to put the chief designer on a helicopter and send him to fight so that he can see for himself what nonsense he is proposing. But on the whole Mil's proposal was approved, in which big role The support of the head of Central Research Institute-30, General Molotkov, played a role. The design bureau received the task of preparing a technical proposal for a new helicopter.
The OKB very quickly prepared two technical proposals. The first is for a seven-ton helicopter with one TVZ-117 engine, and the second is for a helicopter weighing 10.5 tons with two of the same engines. OKB N.I. Kamov, having joined the program, proposed a cheaper solution: an armed version of the ship-borne Ka-25, which was already widely used in the fleet.
Work on equipping this device various systems weapons, including air-to-surface missiles, have long been produced at the Ukhtomsk helicopter plant. Some military experts were inclined to Kamov's proposal, but ultimately the decision to equip the domestic Armed Forces with a newer and more powerful combat weapon prevailed. The greater experience of the Mil Design Bureau in creating armed helicopters for the army also played a role.
Final choice fell on the twin-engine version, which could carry a larger combat load and had better performance characteristics. The military assessed it positively, but demanded that the GSh-23 cannon proposed by the OKB be replaced with a high-speed heavy machine gun and that non-existent weapons be provided as the main anti-tank weapon guided missiles, and a promising complex with a supersonic Shturmi ATGM with semi-automatic guidance was just being developed. The helicopter was supposed to be equipped with a new sighting system, which included a stabilized operator sight, an automatic pilot sight and laser rangefinder. As development progressed, it was planned to equip the helicopter with round-the-clock surveillance and targeting systems and elements of defense against weapons.
Compared to helicopters for other purposes, a combat helicopter must have higher horizontal flight speeds and better maneuverability characteristics for a covert approach to a target and reducing the time spent under enemy fire. The main task in creating such a machine was to obtain; the following data: maximum speed of at least 320-350 km/h, static ceiling 1500-2000 m at elevated temperature outside air and maximum overload 1.75d at speeds of 100-250 km/h. The goal of achieving specific indicators of combat survivability and effectiveness was not set, because at that time, ideas about them were still very vague.
Detailed design of the helicopter, which later became known as the Mi-24, began in June 1968, immediately after the release of a joint resolution of the CPSU Central Committee and the Council of Ministers. The general management of all work on the helicopter was carried out personally by M.L. Mil, and after his death - by the new general designer M.N. Tishchenko. Directly led the creation new car Deputy Chief Designer Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Kuznetsov, one of the oldest Soviet helicopter designers.
Design and construction proceeded at a rapid pace, and already in the summer of 1969 the first prototype The helicopter was assembled. This was facilitated by Mil’s bold decision to fully or partially unify a significant part of the most complex and critical units of the new helicopter with those already tested on the Mi-8 and Mi-14. This approach was supposed to provide certain benefits both in the process of mass production, as well as in operation. First of all, they found application: engines, hub and rotor blades, tail rotor, swashplate, main gearbox and transmission. However, no matter how hard they tried to achieve complete unification, it was not possible; for example, the main rotor blades were made shorter.
The layout of the helicopter corresponded to its purpose. The Mi-24 had a classic single-rotor design with a five-bladed main rotor and a three-bladed tail rotor. Straight wing served not only for the suspension of weapons, but also created 19-25% of the total lift. The helicopter had a well-streamlined aerodynamic shape. Special attention the design was aimed at reducing drag; the area of the equivalent plate of the helicopter's midsection in the transport version was 2-2.15 sq.m, and in the combat version - 2.75 sq.m (for the Mi-8 - 3 sq.m).
Distinctive feature The layout of the Mi-24 is tilted to the right from the vertical position by two and a half degrees of the main rotor shaft together with the power plant, which is caused by the desire to increase the accuracy of shooting from a stationary weapon. The fact is that the characteristic features of helicopter flight dynamics are hovering with a slight roll and flight with a slight slip, caused by the need to balance the lateral component of the tail rotor thrust.
Thanks to the tilt of the shaft, the roll and slip of the helicopter in all flight modes were minimal: roll - 0.5-1.5, slip - 1. To unload the tail rotor when flying at high speed the end beam had a relatively large area (2.8 sq.m) and an asymmetrical profile. At maximum speed, the keel generated two-thirds of the lateral force required to balance the rotor torque.
The single cockpit housed the gunner-operator and behind him, with a slight shift to the left, the pilot. In the OKB this type of cabin was called a veranda. The operator's task included detecting and recognizing targets, controlling a mobile machine gun mount, launching and targeting anti-tank missiles, and dropping bombs. In case of pilot failure workplace the operator was equipped with a second control. The pilot could fire from a fixed weapon on underwing mounts and a bow machine gun fixed along the axis of the helicopter. The cockpit was protected by side armor plates included in the power structure of the fuselage, a windshield bulletproof glass and an armored pilot's seat. In addition, armor was included in the hoods of the power plant. The crew was required to use helmets and body armor.
In the middle part of the helicopter there was a cargo compartment for 8 paratroopers, equipped with double-leaf doors on the sides that opened up and down. The lower door contained steps. The opening windows were equipped with pivot mounts, which allowed the paratroopers to fire from standard weapons. Both cabins formed a pressurized compartment, equipped with an air conditioning system with slight overpressure for safety when flying over contaminated areas. The cargo compartment was equipped with a side boom with an electric winch and could be used for evacuating the wounded and transporting cargo up to 1500 kg. Oversized cargo weighing up to 2500 kg could be transported on an external sling. The Mi-24 had a landing gear retractable into the fuselage, the niches of which were closed with flaps.
Electrical and radio equipment was located in the rear section of the fuselage. The Mi-24 was equipped with an autopilot, a small-sized gyro-vertical and heading system, a Doppler speed and drift angle meter, an automatic tablet, a short-range navigation radio system with an antenna feeder system, etc. The helicopter was controlled mechanically using four hydraulic boosters on a common plate mounted on the main gearbox. Stabilizer control is associated with main rotor pitch control. The hydraulic system consisted of three separate systems: main, backup and auxiliary.
The new two-shaft engine TVZ-117, tested on the Mi-14 by chief designer S.P. Izotov, was one of the best at that time and was not inferior in its performance to foreign models. It had a takeoff power of 2200 hp, a nominal power of -1700 hp, specific gravity 0.117 kg/hp and specific consumption 0.23-0.265 kg/hp/hour. If one of the engines stopped, the other automatically switched to takeoff mode. The fuel system consisted of five soft, protected tanks with a capacity of 2125 liters. Power was not interrupted if any of the tanks were damaged. In the distillation version, two metal tanks with a capacity of 1630 liters were installed inside the cargo compartment.
The Mi-24 was built much earlier than the weapons for which it was developed. Due to the unavailability of the Sturmi high-temperature machine gun complex, Mil decided to install on the first samples of a combat helicopter the weapon of the K4V complex, which had proven itself well on the armed modifications of the Mi-4 and Mi-8. On removable frames installed on the fuselage under the cargo compartment doors, the Mi-24 received a pair of 9M17 ATGMs of the Phalanga-Ms anti-tank system manual system guidance The operator carried it out using a 9Sh121 tank sight, which had telescopic optics with a magnification of 8, and a radio command line. A mobile NUV-1 machine gun mount with a large-caliber A-12.7 machine gun and a simple collimator sight was mounted in the nose of the Mi-24. To four beam holders, installed two under each wing console, could be attached: NAR blocks of 32 S-5 missiles each, bombs of 100 and 250 kg caliber, or one tank with flammable liquid. The operator had bomb sight OPB-1R. The pilot used a PKV collimator sight to fire the NUR.
The Mi-24 factory testing program began on September 19, 1969 with the first hover performed by test pilot G.V. Alferov. This copy, like the second one, assembled at the pilot production of the Moscow Helicopter Plant (MVZ), was used only for flight tests. Following them, a pilot series of 10 helicopters was laid down: 5 at the Moscow Helicopter Plant, 5 at the Arsenyevsky Progress Machine-Building Plant (of the latter, 1 was intended for endurance testing). All factory research under the Mi-24 test programs was carried out on them. In addition to Alferov, pilots G.R. Karapetyan and M. Material, flight mechanics V. Tarabukhin and F. Novikov were honored during the flights. B.V. Smyslov was appointed leading flight test engineer. During one of the first demonstrations of the Mi-24 to the Air Force command, a tragedy occurred. The pilot of the helicopter, M.Materialny, wanted to demonstrate it to the generals as effectively as possible, but made a mistake, and the machine crashed into the shower room of a textile factory adjacent to the cost center. The pilot and V. Tarabukhin and B. Smyslov, who were on board, died.
State tests began in June 1970 and lasted a year and a half. They were carried out intensively, sometimes with the participation of 16 vehicles at the same time, and generally confirmed the calculated data. In the combat helicopter version, i.e. only with weapons, without landing troops, the Mi-24 with a normal take-off weight of 11 tons had a maximum speed of 320 km/h and a cruising speed of 270 km/h, and in transport - 340 km/h and 280 km/h, respectively. A large excess of power at speeds of 100-200 km/h ensured a vertical rate of climb of up to 16 m/s and acceleration with an acceleration of 3-3.5 m/s2. If one of the engines failed, the helicopter could continue flying on the other for an hour. Under ISA conditions, the static ceiling outside the influence of the ground was 1400 m, and the practical ceiling was 4950 m. Flight range -450 km, ferry range -1000 km. At flight speeds of 100-250 km/h, a vertical overload of 1.75d was provided at a normal take-off weight. During testing of the Mi-24, a number of strength and service life problems were successfully resolved, and measures were taken to eliminate increased vibrations. Despite the significant increase in flight speeds compared to the Mi-8, the level of fuselage vibrations turned out to be relatively low.
However, the testers also encountered a number of problems that required significant changes to be made to the design from a helicopter. At speeds above 200 km/h with the autopilot turned off and in the presence of external disturbances, the Mi-24 was prone to undamped or weakly damped oscillations in heading and roll (such as a Dutch step), which forced the pilots to constantly intervene in the controls. To improve lateral stability, the designers decided to install a wing with a negative transverse V.
It also turned out that the placement of an ATGM on the fuselage is unsuccessful, because when firing NAR there is a danger of their contact. In this regard, the ATGM mounting units were moved to special pylons mounted on the wingtips, which thus received its characteristic silhouette.
The new wing was first installed at the end of 1970 on two prototypes modified at the Moscow Helicopter Plant, which also featured an extended cockpit. Latest solution was caused by the fact that the previous cabin turned out to be too cramped to accommodate a high-speed machine gun and the new Raduga-F sighting system, designed for semi-automatic guidance of ATGMs. However, due to the delay in fine-tuning the new weapons, the first production Mi-24s were built with the Phalanga-Mi complexes and the A-12.7 machine gun. They entered the troops under the name Mi-24A.
The twenty-four of the first serial modification were built in Arsenyev over a period of 5 years. In total, about 250 Mi-24A were built. A number of helicopters were produced in the training version of the Mi-24U, which was tested in 1972. This version differed from the combat version in the absence of a nose machine gun, instead of which a full-fledged set of flight and navigation equipment and standard control levers were installed in the front cockpit of the instructor pilot. Flight crews and ground personnel were trained on the Mi-24A. The experience they acquired served to further improve the helicopter, increasing its reliability and efficiency.
During the period of serial production, the Design Bureau continued to improve the helicopter's armament. The new experimental modification was named Mi-24B. It differed from the Mi-24 and Mi-24A by the mobile USPU-24 machine gun mount with a high-rate (4000-4500 rounds/min) YAKB-12.7 machine gun (Yakushev-Borzov), controlled remotely using the KPS-53AV sighting station. The mobile small arms system (SPSV-24) included an analog computer interfaced with a system of on-board parameter sensors, thanks to which the installation automatically entered corrections when firing. In addition, the Mi-24B was equipped with the Phalanga-Ps anti-tank complex with the Raduga-F guidance system. This increased the probability of missiles hitting the target by 3-4 times. A gyro-stabilized guidance device allowed the helicopter to maneuver within 60" along the course while aiming the missile at the target, which significantly increased its combat effectiveness.
Experienced Mi-24Bs were successfully completed in 1971-1972. the first stage of testing, but their development was stopped. Experience in operating the Mi-24A in units revealed a serious drawback - unsatisfactory visibility from the cockpit. The OKB eliminated it at the beginning of 1971, designing a fundamentally new bow: the pilot and operator were located in isolated cabins in tandem and on different levels(both cabins had armored glass).
At the same time, it was possible to get rid of shadowing by the design elements of the Rainbow-Phi system observation device of the command radio control line antenna in sector 60 in azimuth, which was achieved by installing the systems on the sides below the fuselage contour. The cartridge box located in the cockpit on the Mi-24A was moved below floor level and began to be serviced from the outside.
In addition, pilots complained that in some flight conditions (for example, hovering with a left crosswind in ground influence conditions), they did not have enough directional control reserve. This problem was solved in 1974 by moving the tail rotor from the starboard side to the left. The propeller turned from a pushing one into a pulling one, the losses from the beam blowing increased, but due to the change in the direction of rotation, its peripheral speed began to add up to the inductive flow of the main rotor, as a result, the thrust of the tail rotor increased significantly. This is how the appearance of the Mi-24 helicopter was finally formed.
Mi-24A began to enter service with the troops in 1970-71. The vehicle was first mastered at the Voronezh branch of the 4th Center for Combat Use and Retraining (CBPP). It was followed by Air Force regiments stationed in Chernigovka (Far Eastern Military District), Brody (Prikarpatsky Military District), Parchim and Stendal (both from the GSVG Air Force). Later, regiments were added to them in Pruzhany (Belarusian Military District), Magocha (Trans-Baikal Military District), Raukhovka (Odessa Military District), Berdichev (Carpathian Military District), etc. In total, by the beginning of the 80s. V Soviet army There were about 15 separate combat helicopter regiments (OBVP). As a rule, each of these units consisted of three squadrons: two of 20 Mi-24s and one of 20 Mi-8s. In addition, twenty-fours were included in separate helicopter regiments combat control(OVPBU), and with the formation of structures army aviation and as part of separate helicopter squadrons under combined arms divisions.
Pilots who flew the first Mi-24A noted their good maneuverability and controllability. The vehicles made it possible to perform combat turns with a roll exceeding 60, climb with a pitch angle of up to 50, turns on a hill, etc. However, the first twenty-fours were still very far from perfect. First of all, complaints were caused by crude engines, the service life of which did not exceed 50 hours, and poor visibility from the pilot’s workplace. It also turned out that when flying at low altitude at night, ground lights were reflected in the flat glass of the veranda, which significantly impaired visibility, and sometimes even led to the pilot losing spatial orientation. A significant drawback was the helicopter's tendency to rotate in a horizontal plane. This phenomenon occurred while hovering with strong gusts of side wind, and often it could not be stopped even by a full kick, which led to flight accidents.
Such important units as the gearbox, hub and main rotor blades did not cause any special comments, and the failures that occurred were mainly associated with maintenance errors. But sometimes these units were presented unpleasant surprises. So, in 1976, on a helicopter A.S. Dubrovsky, a short circuit in the electrical wiring of the anti-icing system caused the rotor blade to catch fire. It was possible to cope with the fire only by turning off all power sources on board. Despite the fact that several sections of the blade burned out, the flight ended safely. (In the history of the Mi-24, there are many cases where the blades were damaged from collisions with trees, birds, other helicopters, air defense fire, etc., but most often, even with very significant damage, incidents of this kind ended without tragic consequences. )
The retractable landing gear brought unique problems. Pilots accustomed to the Mi-4 or Mi-8 often forgot to put it away after takeoff and, even worse, to release it upon landing. This led to very serious accidents. Another significant drawback was the lack of full control by the pilot operator. Only real aces could land from his workplace.
The weapon system carried over from the Mi-4 did not allow for effective fire support missions. ATGMs caused especially a lot of trouble, the accuracy of which did not exceed 30%.
The Soviet Union supplied the Mi-24 various modifications to 21 countries. In less than 20 years, the twenty-four has taken part in more than three dozen local wars and armed incidents - it can be considered the most combative of combat helicopters.
The first appearance of the Mi-24 over the battlefield was noted by Western observers in early 1978 during the Ethiopian-Somali war. Piloted by Cuban pilots, twenty-fours attacked armored vehicles and the artillery positions of Somali General Spada Barre. Due to the weakness of the enemy's air defense, these actions took place with virtual impunity. After the expulsion of the Somalis, a protracted civil war began in Ethiopia, during which government forces deployed more than 40 Mi-24A. They were used as fire support helicopters, with the main weapon being the S-5 rockets. According to available information, there were no casualties in the air. But on the ground, the Eritrean separatists managed to destroy several twenty-fours during an attack on the Asmara airbase on the night of May 20-21, 1984.
Soviet military advisers worked in the Ethiopian government army and took part in maintenance helicopters and engaged in training aviation personnel. One of them, Mr. S.A. Melnichenko, recalls: In 1988. Mi-35 arrived from the USSR. Graduates of the local flight school flew them, and did it very successfully. In addition to performing the usual tasks for the twenty-four, they had to fight in the Red Sea with high-speed boats of the separatists, which suddenly attacked ships standing under unloading, after which they disappeared with lightning speed. The helicopter pilots destroyed 8 boats, after which the enemy abandoned their further use. In February 1989, UPK-23-250 were very successfully used against tanks. A column of armored vehicles moving along the road in a mountain gorge was alternately attacked from the rear by two groups of Mi-35s, which destroyed 8 tanks with cannon fire. As the conflict developed, the separatists managed to shoot down several Mi-24As. The Mi-35, at least until the beginning of 1990, avoided this fate, but still one aircraft was lost as a result of landing with the landing gear not extended. After the cessation of supplies of spare parts from the USSR, most of the helicopter fleet fell into disrepair. Some vehicles were hijacked by the enemy and were used in battles until 1991, when Ethiopia split into two states.
In Afghanistan, the first Mi-24A and Mi-25 appeared in April 1979. They immediately found use in actions against the forces of irreconcilable opposition. They were used by twenty-four Afghan pilots very effectively, but despite the weak air defense of the Mujahideen at that time, there were some losses. The first Mi-24 was shot down on May 30. Fired from the ground, it crashed into a mountain near Khost. The DRA leaders persistently asked Moscow for the supply of an additional batch of 20-25 such vehicles. However, the Afghan army received new Mi-24s only after the entry of Soviet troops into the country.
Libya actively used its Mi-24A and Mi-25 in Chad during civil war between the Libyan group of G. Weddey and the regime of H. Habré
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Transport and combat helicopter Mi-24. Part II
The factory testing program began on September 15, 1969, with the first tethered climbs. Four days later, test pilot G.V. Alferov made the first free flight. Both first copies (OP-1 and OP-2), assembled by the pilot production of the cost center, were used for flight tests. Following them, a pilot series of ten helicopters was launched: five at the Moscow Helicopter Plant, five at the Arsenyevsky Progress Machine-Building Plant. Several Arsenyev devices remained at the place of their construction for the needs of the serial plant, all the rest were transferred to the flight research station of the Moscow Helicopter Plant. All factory research was carried out on them for the testing programs of the B-24 and its subsequent modifications. One of the Arsenyev vehicles was originally created as a flying laboratory for testing the Shturm-V anti-tank system. In addition to Alferov, the following pilots took part in the test flights: G.R. Karapetyan, M.A. Materialny and many others.
Test pilot German Alferov
State tests of the first prototypes began in June 1970 and lasted a year and a half. They were carried out intensively, sometimes with the participation of 16 vehicles at the same time, and generally confirmed the preliminary calculations. During testing of the B-24, a number of strength and service life problems were successfully resolved, and measures were taken to eliminate increased vibrations. On the new helicopter, despite a significant increase in flight speeds compared to the Mi-8, the level of fuselage vibrations turned out to be relatively low.
Test pilot Gurgen Rubenovich Karapetyan
However, during the flights, the testers encountered a number of problems that required significant changes to the helicopter design. At speeds above 200 km/h with the autopilot turned off, the helicopter, in the presence of external disturbances, was prone to undamped or weakly damped oscillations in heading and roll (“Dutch step”), which forced the pilot to constantly intervene in the control. To improve lateral stability, the designers decided to install a wing with a negative transverse V (angle 12°) on the helicopter. Anti-tank guided missiles mounted on removable side frames turned out to be incompatible with weapons located under the wings, and the danger of their contact when firing was identified. In this regard, the frames were eliminated, and vertical pylons with frames with guides for anti-tank guided missiles attached to them were added at the ends of the wings. The wings of the helicopter received their characteristic silhouette.
Test pilot Marat Antonovich Material
In addition, during the development of a new sighting system and weapons, the designers discovered that the B-24 cockpit was too cramped to accommodate the Rainbow F system for semi-automatic guidance of anti-tank missiles and high-speed machine gun equipment. The design bureau decided to lengthen the front cabins on two experimental prototypes at the pilot production center of the cost center. Wings of a new design were also installed on them for the first time. So at the end of 1970 the first modification of the B-24 appeared. The helicopters, launched into mass production at the Arsenyevsky plant that same year, were built with elongated cabins and V-shaped wings. In addition, at the customer's request, the operator's cabin was equipped with pedals and control sticks in case of failure of the pilot. However, due to a delay in fine-tuning the new weapon system, the first production Mi-24 helicopters were built with the Phalanga-M complex with manual guidance and an A-12.7 machine gun. They entered the troops under the name Mi-24A (Izdeliye 245). IN next year, upon completion of state tests, the modification was officially accepted for service in Air Force units. Mi-24 devices were equipped with separate helicopter regiments of the Soviet Army, which were part of combined arms armies and air assault brigades. Subsequently, the Mi-24s entered individual combat command helicopter regiments, and with the formation of army aviation structures, they also entered individual helicopter squadrons of motorized rifle divisions.
The Mi-24A transport and combat helicopters were built by the Arsenyev plant over the course of five years. In total, about two and a half hundred of them were produced. A number of helicopters were produced in the training version of the Mi-24U (Izdeliye 244), which was tested in 1972 and differed from the combat version by the absence of a nose machine gun. Instead, full-fledged control levers and flight navigation equipment were installed in the front cockpit of the instructor pilot. Launch into production new technology before its official adoption, the feasibility of which was tested on the Mi-4 helicopter, and in this case it justified itself. Flight crews and ground support personnel were trained on helicopters. Mi-24A helicopters were delivered abroad and took part in battles in Afghanistan and local African conflicts. The operating experience of these machines made a great contribution to their further improvement and fine-tuning, increasing the reliability and efficiency of the helicopter.
In parallel with the introduction of Mi-24A helicopters into mass production, the OKB continued to improve the weapon system. The new experimental modification was named Mi-24B (Izdeliye 241). It differed from the Mi-24 and Mi-24A by the mobile USPU-24 machine gun mount with a high-rate (4000-4500 rounds/min) YAKB-12.7 machine gun (Yakushev-Borzov), controlled remotely using the KPS-53AV sighting station. The installation implemented the ability to automate the introduction of corrections during shooting. The mobile small arms system (SPSV-24) included an analog computer interfaced with a system of on-board parameter sensors. In addition, the Mi-24B was equipped with a Phalanga-P anti-tank missile system with semi-automatic system guidance "Rainbow-F". This increased the frequency of missiles hitting the target by three to four times. The gyro-stabilized guidance device allowed the helicopter to maneuver within plus or minus 60 degrees, along the course in the process of pointing the missile at the target, which significantly increased its combat effectiveness.
Experienced Mi-24Bs successfully passed the first stage of testing in 1971-1972, but their development was stopped. Experience in operating the Mi-24A in units revealed a serious drawback - unsatisfactory visibility from the cockpit. The relatively spacious cabin created large “dead” viewing angles. The operator blocked the pilot's view forward and to the right, in turn not being able to view the left rear hemisphere. The glass was "glare". In addition, placing pilots in the same cockpit increased the risk of their simultaneous incapacitation in a combat situation. Therefore, at the M.L. Mil Design Bureau, at the beginning of 1971, a fundamentally new bow was designed: the pilot and operator were located in isolated, narrow and well-protected cabins in tandem and at different levels. Both cabins had armored glass. At the same time, in addition to improving the pilot’s visibility, another problem was solved - a wide overview (plus/minus 60 degrees in azimuth) was provided to the Raduga-F system surveillance device without obscuring by structural elements and the same sector for the command radio control line antenna.
This was achieved by placing the systems on both sides below the cabin surround. The cartridge box located on the Mi-24A in the cockpit was moved below the floor and began to be serviced from the outside. In addition, pilots complained that in some flight modes (hovering with a left crosswind in conditions of ground influence and sliding) they did not have enough directional control reserve. This problem was solved in 1974 by moving the tail rotor from the starboard side to the left. The propeller changed from a pusher to a puller, and by changing the direction of rotation of the tail rotor, its thrust increased significantly. This is how the appearance of the Mi-24 helicopter was finally formed.
Two prototypes of the B-24 were equipped with a new nose section at the pilot production of the Moscow Helicopter Plant in the early summer of 1972. In addition to a high-speed machine gun, they were also equipped with a new complex of supersonic guided anti-tank missiles "Sturm". Therefore, initially the first helicopters with separate cabins were given the name Mi-24V (Izdeliye 242). Unfortunately, the fine-tuning of the Sturm complex was delayed and in 1973 a helicopter version with separate cockpits, but with a weapon system similar to the Mi-24B, went into serial production. This production helicopter, intermediate between the Mi-24A and Mi-24V, received the designation Mi-24D (the designation “G” was not used for aesthetic reasons) (Izdeliye 246). Its experimental prototypes were highly praised during joint tests in 1973-1974. With the release of the first five Mi-24Ds in 1973, the Rostov Helicopter Plant began mass production of these helicopters. In total, until 1977, about 350 Mi-24D helicopters were built. The training modification of the Mi-24DU (Izdeliye 249) created in 1980 differed from combat version the absence of a bow machine gun, instead of which full-fledged control levers and flight and navigation equipment were installed in the front cockpit of the instructor pilot. The Mi-24D helicopter was exported with slightly modified equipment under the designation Mi-25, and the Mi-24DU - Mi-25U.
The 9K113 Shturm-V anti-tank complex with 9M114 guided supersonic missiles, specified by the customer, entered testing in 1972. New rocket, compared to that used in the Phalanx-PV complex, it was distinguished not only by greater speed and range, but also by more high accuracy and hit probability, as well as compactness. The control system was radio command semi-automatic. Testing of the Phalanga-PV complex ended in 1974. Moreover, this helicopter version was created earlier than Sturm-S, intended for ground troops. The appearance of the Shturm-V determined the time for the creation of the final version of the Mi-24 helicopter, specified by the customer at the very beginning of the development of this device. In addition to the Shturm-V complex, the final version of the Mi-24V was also distinguished by the ASP-17V automatic pilot sight. The Mi-24V could be equipped with eight guided anti-tank missiles, while its predecessors carried only four (later the Mi-24V was retrofitted with multi-lock beam holders, which ensured that the helicopter was armed with 16 9M114 missiles). Additional fuel tanks on the Mi-24V were no longer mounted inside the fuselage, but were suspended under the wings. The helicopter completed joint State tests about a year later than the Mi-24D. By government decree on March 29, 1976, both helicopters were officially accepted into service. By this time, about 400 Mi-24A and Mi-24D aircraft were already in service. The Mi-24V helicopter was supplied abroad under the name Mi-35.
Thus, it took almost eight years to fine-tune the helicopter, with most of this time spent on coordinating and creating sighting systems and a weapon system. From 1976 to 1986, over a thousand Mi-24Vs were produced. They bore the brunt of hostilities in Afghanistan and currently form the backbone of Russia's military helicopter aviation. In subsequent years, based on the Mi-24V, a number of experimental modifications were developed, featuring new equipment. In particular, in the 80s a large research to equip the Mi-24V with night vision equipment, ensuring the ability to operate the helicopter at any time of the day. The vast experience gained is currently being used to create the Mi-28N “night hunter”.
After the creation of the Mi-24V helicopter, the Mil Design Bureau began the long-planned development of a modification equipped with a cannon. The purpose of this modification was to increase combat capabilities helicopter in the fight against enemy armored vehicles. Direct work on the modification of the Mi-24P (cannon) (Product 243) began in 1974. The GSh-2-30 (Gryazev-Shipunov) double-barreled rapid-firing 30 mm aviation cannon, previously used on fighter-bombers, was chosen as the weapon. Since its movable installation was impossible due to its heavy weight and recoil, it was decided to place the cannon motionless along the starboard side in the nose of the fuselage and fire by aiming with the entire helicopter. However, the finalization of the modification took a long time. Significant problems arose with the compatibility of the gun with instrumentation and sighting equipment. Weapon designers had to lengthen the gun barrels and build them up with additional attachments that would extend the source of the muzzle wave beyond the dimensions of the helicopter. The helicopter entered serial production in 1981 and over nine years over 620 Mi-24Ps were produced. It was tested in battles in Afghanistan and received high praise. The cannon modification was supplied abroad under the name Mi-35P.
Mi-24P
The Mi-24P modification demonstrated the feasibility of helicopter cannon armament, but the fixed gun significantly limited the effectiveness of its use. At the same time, the power of the GSh-30 gun turned out to be even excessive. To perform a number of operations, a 23 mm caliber gun was quite sufficient. The transition to smaller ammunition made it possible, with the same total weight, to reduce the size and complexity of the design of the cartridge box. Therefore, in 1989 it went into mass production latest modification helicopter: Mi-24VP (Izdeliye 258). The GSh-23L double-barreled aviation automatic gun was installed on a mobile NPPU-24 mount in the nose of the vehicle instead of the USPU-24 machine gun mount. Thus, at the end of serial production, the Mi-24 helicopter received the weapon that its first creator, General Designer M.L. Mil, had designed from the very beginning. The suspension of serial production of the Mi-24 limited the production of the Mi-24VP to 25 copies.
Mi-24VP
For the creation of the Mi-24 helicopter, a group of its creators, including chief designer M.N. Tishchenko, was awarded the Lenin Prize, and a large group of designers, workers and customer representatives were awarded high government awards.
Mi-24V with an NSVT-12.7 Utes heavy machine gun located at the rear of the fuselage
Modifications of the Mi-24V, Mi-24D and Mi-24P were used with great efficiency in battles in Afghanistan, where they proved their high combat power and survivability, as well as the indispensability of the helicopter as a unique combat weapon. The conditions of use in a high mountainous country with the enemy’s ever-increasing equipment of air defense systems forced a number of different modifications to the helicopters. Among other things, they were equipped with high-altitude TVZ-117V engines (at an altitude of 1000 m at an outside temperature of 40 degrees, engine power increased from 1420 hp to 1700 hp), dustproof and screen-exhaust devices, multi-lock bomb racks, and PK machine guns or RPK in the cargo compartment, additional armor, polyurethane foam tank fillers, IR trap cassettes, active jamming station SOEP-V1A "Lipa" and others additional funds increasing combat survivability and effectiveness. To protect the rear hemisphere of the helicopter in 1985, the Mil Design Bureau built an experimental modification of the Mi-24V with a tail machine gun emplacement with a heavy-caliber NSVT-12.7 Utes machine gun located at the rear of the fuselage in place of the radio compartment. The shooter entered it through a narrow hole from the cargo compartment of the helicopter. However, when the shooter was positioned in the cockpit, the centering of the helicopter undesirably shifted back and the gas pollution in the cockpit during firing exceeded all acceptable standards. Therefore, it was necessary to abandon the tail machine-gun point and introduce a system of mirrors to view the rear hemisphere.
Screen-exhaust device
SOEP-V1A optical-electronic jamming station (product L-166 or "Linden")
Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Mi-24 helicopter was supplied in various modifications to more than 20 countries of the world, including the “people's democracies”, Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Vietnam, India, Iraq, Libya, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Peru, North Korea, North Yemen, Syria, Yugoslavia, South Yemen, Ethiopia, etc.
IR trap cassettes
The Mil rotary-wing attack aircraft was effectively used in more than three dozen wars and armed conflicts, i.e. Today it is the most “war-fought” among combat helicopters in the world. During the Iran-Iraq War, Mi-24s repeatedly engaged in air combat with Bell Sea Cobra combat helicopters of the Iranian Air Force and emerged victorious, and in one of the battles, an Iraqi Mi-24V hit an Iranian Phantom fighter.
Universal helicopter gondola GUV-8700 (9A669)
To increase the firepower of Mi-24 helicopters, underwing GUV containers with two equipment options were developed for them in the late 70s: either one YAKB-12.7 machine gun and two of the same high-speed TKB-621 machine guns with a caliber of 7.62 mm, or the AGS-17 “Plamya” grenade launcher with a caliber of 30 mm. Subsequently, the Mi-24 began to be equipped with universal gun containers UPK-23-250 developed at the A.S. Yakovlev Design Bureau with a GSh-23 cannon of 23 mm caliber. In addition to unmanaged blocks rockets small caliber S-5 blocks are used on the Mi-24 unguided missiles S-8 (80mm caliber), S-13 (130 mm) and S-24 (250 mm), flare units, universal mine spreader containers, various bombs weighing up to 500 kg. The possibility of equipping Mi-24 helicopters with various other types of weapons, including R-60, R-73 and 9M39 Igla air-to-air missiles, was tested experimentally.
Universal helicopter gondola 213P-A (left) with an automatic grenade launcher AP-30 "Plamya-A" and a universal gun container UPK-23-250 with a GSh-23 cannon
All serial military helicopters Mi-24A, Mi-24V, Mi-24D, Mi-24P and Mi-24VP were used to solve problems of a general army nature in three main versions: combat - for fighting tanks, fire support for ground troops and tactical landings, destruction of point targets, enemy strongholds and landings; transport - for landing tactical troops, transporting troops and cargo and supplying forward units; sanitary - for the evacuation of the wounded and sick from the battlefield and rear (two bedridden and two seated with one accompanying person). At the same time, the Design Bureau did not stop developing specialized modifications of the Mi-24 helicopter.
The presence of a spacious cargo compartment and the high power supply of the vehicle contributed to the emergence of various proposals for new areas of its use. Most of them remained only on paper. In particular, in 1971, an anti-submarine version of the Mi-24M (Izdeliye 247) was developed, but “in order not to cross the path” of the traditional developer of carrier-based aircraft, the N.I. Kamov Design Bureau, which had more experience in creating carrier-based helicopters, the General Designer M.L. Mil ordered the cessation of work on this topic. Only in 1973, the Milevites, on an urgent order from the government, built an experimental modification of the Mi-24BMT mine trawl towing vehicle (Izdeliye 248) on the basis of the Mi-24A. For this purpose, they were built from the original model. removed: the entire complex of weapons, armor and wings; the landing gear was made non-retractable. A trawl device was placed in the fuselage and an additional fuel tank was installed. The minesweeper helicopter remained in a single copy, since the corresponding version of the Mi-helicopter was used to combat mines in the Suez Canal area. 8.
In 1975, an experimental fenestron-type tail rotor was tested on one of the B-24 prototypes. It did not receive practical application because it turned out to be inappropriate for helicopters of this class. In the same 1975, the M.L. Mil Design Bureau created, on the basis of one of the first B-24s, a modification of the A-10 helicopter, as lightweight as possible and with fairings instead of wings. In the summer of the same year, the crew of G.V. Rastorgueva set a number of women's world speed and climb records, and on September 21, 1978, G.R. Karapetyan set an absolute world record for helicopter flight speed: 368.4 km/h. Another B-24 was successfully used for several years as a flying laboratory for testing and fine-tuning the Sturm anti-tank system. During the development of the Mi-28 combat helicopter, its predecessor was successfully used as a flying laboratory for testing the units and systems of the new device being created, including the main and tail rotors, weapons and sighting, flight and navigation equipment.
Excavator on the underwing pylon of the Mi-24РХР
To conduct NBC reconnaissance from the air with the transmission of intelligence information from on board via radio communication channels to ground stations, the M.L. Mil Design Bureau converted at the end of 1978 one Mi-24V into a modification of the Mi-24РХР (Izdeliye 2462), equipped with an enhanced crew life support system , additional seats for two reconnaissance chemists, appropriate equipment for taking air and soil samples, including a unique remote-controlled excavator on the underwing pylon, as well as equipment for analyzing and transmitting reconnaissance results. From 1983 to 1989, factories produced over 160 vehicles of this modification. Mi-24РХР helicopters were used to eliminate the consequences of the accident at Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Three years ago, the original model was modernized and named Mi-24RA. It features more advanced communication and information processing equipment, as a result of which the crew has been reduced by one reconnaissance chemist.
In 1979, the Mil Design Bureau created a modification of the Mi-24K (Izdeliye 201), designed for visual observation of the battlefield, the location of enemy troops, correcting rocket and artillery fire, as well as perspective photography of the area. Instead of "Rainbow" reconnaissance modification received the Iris surveillance system with an increased surveillance range. The on-board reconnaissance and correction complex "Ruta" was installed in the cargo cabin, consisting of an optical observation device, an on-board computer and an information conversion device, as well as an AFA-100 camera, which takes pictures through a special window on the right side of the cabin. From 1983 to 1989, almost 180 aerial spotters were built.
Mi-24 helicopters of all modifications are currently one of the main aircraft army aviation of Russia and other states of the former Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact, as well as a number of third world countries. In this regard, the M.L. Mil Design Bureau, headed by General Director-General Designer G.A. Sinelshchikov, is developing a program for the deep modernization of the existing fleet of Mi-24 helicopters in order to extend their service life, increase combat effectiveness, as well as flight performance. technical and operational characteristics, including the unification of weapons, equipment and units with the promising Mi-28 helicopter. The modernization of the transport and combat helicopter is called Mi-24VM (in the version for foreign customers, Mi-35M). It will be equipped with more powerful and high-altitude TVZ-117VMA engines, a new load-bearing system and an X-shaped tail rotor, instrumentation, reinforced hydraulics, a non-retractable landing gear to save weight, additional means of reducing visibility and increasing survivability, and a movable double-barreled automatic gun GSh-23V , a shortened wing with suspension units for 16 9M120 guided anti-tank missiles of the Ataka-V complex or anti-aircraft missiles 9M39 of the Igla-V complex and other weapon options.
Vadim MIKHEEV
magazine "Aviation and Cosmonautics"
Main modifications of the Mi-24
A-10- a record version of the Mi-24A helicopter without weapons and a wing with a reduced take-off weight. In 1975 and 1978 on the record version of the A-10, 7 international records were set, among which were an absolute speed record of 303.4 km/h on a base of 15-25 km (set by G.R. Karapetyan), as well as absolute women's speed and rate of climb records (set by G. .V.Rastorgueva);
Mi-24- the first production helicopter (“product 240”) with two TV3-117 engines and a wing without a transverse V. 5 helicopters were manufactured in Moscow and Arsenyev.
Mi-24A (Hind A)- a modified production version (“product 245”) with TV3-117VM engines with a power of 1610 kW and a larger-span wing with a negative transverse V, at the ends of which there are pylons for mounting launchers ATGM "Phalanx M" with semi-automatic control using the "Rainbow F" sighting system. An A-12.7 machine gun is installed in the bow. Produced at the plant in Arsenyev, about 250 Mi-24A helicopters were built. Exported to Algeria, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Libya, Syria, Ethiopia;
Mi-24B (Hind A)- was armed with a YakB-12 machine gun of 12.7mm caliber on a USPU-24 ventral turret, controlled remotely using a KPS-53AB sighting station with an analog computer and a system of on-board sensors and a Phalanx P ATGM complex with a semi-automatic guidance system "Rainbow F" and a gyro-stabilized sight, providing maneuvering along a course of ± 60° when aiming an ATGM. Developed in 1971. Passed tests in 1971-72. Didn’t go into production due to unsatisfactory visibility from the cockpit;
Mi-24BMT- variant of a helicopter - minesweeper (experienced, “product 248”). Developed on the basis of the Mi-24A helicopter, from which the weapons, armor and wing were removed, the landing gear was made non-retractable. The fuselage housed a trawl device and an additional fuel tank. In 1974, an experimental helicopter was built and tested. I didn’t go into the series;
Mi-24V (Hind E)- anti-tank (“product 242”). It was distinguished by the 9K113 “Sturm-V” complex (8 missiles, since 1986 - 16), ASP-17V sight, avionics, engine air intakes equipped with ROM, as well as separate cockpits, a YAKB-12.7 machine gun. First flight September 23, 1973. It went into production in 1975 and was built until 1986 in Arsenyev and Rostov-on-Don. Since the end of 1978, Mi-24V helicopters (under the designation Mi-35) began to be supplied to the Warsaw Pact countries;
Mi-24VM- modernization of Mi-24V/P/VP. Fixed landing gear, propellers from the Mi-28N, all-weather avionics, active IR jamming station "Lipa", mobile installation NPPU-24 with a GSh-23L cannon, improved missile guidance equipment for ATGM "Ataka" - Tor-24. The Mi-24VM can also carry Malyutka, Shturm and Phalanga-M ATGMs. UR V-V "Igla-V". First flight in March 1999;
Mi-24VP- modification with an NPPU-23 turret gun mount instead of a YAKB-12.7 machine gun with a GSh-23L double-barreled cannon. The Mi-24VP (“product 258”) was produced from 1989 to February 1992. Total production was 179 vehicles. The Mi-24VP was superior to its overseas competitor, the AH-64A “Apachee”, in all respects - speed, security, air combat, round-the-clock use, as was its improved version when the latter was still being developed. In addition, the Mi-24VP artillery salvo with 213P-A and UPK-23-250 containers is second only to gunship AC-130U Specter. But large-scale production of the Mi-24VP, as well as further modifications based on it, but the creation of tactical “triples” of Mi-24VP cover and a pair of Mi-28 tank destroyers was put an end to by the collapse of the USSR and the difficult economic situation in Russia;
Mi-24D (Hind D)- transitional version to the Mi-24V with the Phalanga-M complex (“product 246”). In 1973-1977 it was manufactured in Arsenyev and Rostov-on-Don;
Mi-24DU- training version of the Mi-24D helicopter. Developed in 1980;
Mi-24K/R (Hind G2)- reconnaissance helicopter and artillery fire spotter (“product 201”);
Mi-24L- a variant with a negative transverse V wing, at the ends of which there are pylons for missile suspension, and with the tail rotor placed (on late-production helicopters) on the left side (instead of the previous right placement);
Mi-24M- marine (project). Developed in 1976 (“product 247”).
Mi-24P (Hind F)- cannon (“product 243”). It was distinguished by the fixed installation of the U-260 on the starboard side with a twin GSh-2-30K cannon. The machine gun and its sighting system were removed, since the aiming was carried out by the helicopter itself. Developed in 1974-1975. In 1981-1989, 620 helicopters were manufactured.
Mi-24PN- night. It is distinguished by the presence of the Zarevo thermal imaging system, a laser rangefinder, and an improved control system for the Sturm and Ataka missiles.
Mi-24PS- police patrol and rescue helicopter. There are two options. One is based on the Mi-24V and is armed with a YakB-12.7 machine gun. Equipped with a satellite communications system and a communications complex used by Russian special forces. An FPP-7 search headlight, loudspeakers and a gyro-stabilized optical complex were installed. In addition, a weather radar is installed in the forward part of the fuselage. An assault group of six people can be transported in the cargo compartment. To facilitate landing, handrails, grips and hooks are installed on the helicopter fuselage (four people can be lowered to the ground simultaneously using ropes), as well as an LPG-4 onboard winch.
The second Mi-24PS is not equipped with a weather radar and machine-gun armament. A wing of smaller span, under which two outboard fuel tanks are mounted on pylons. A thermal imager is installed in the forward part of the fuselage of the vehicle in a movable spherical container, which is used to search for objects at night. There are powerful speakers.
Mi-24РХР- a variant based on the Mi-24D (“product 2462”) for radiochemical reconnaissance;
Mi-24TECH-24- a flying workshop for carrying out routine maintenance in field conditions(experienced). Developed in 1981 at the Rostov Helicopter Plant.
Mi-24U (Hind C)- training based on the Mi-24A (“product 244”).
Mi-25- export version of the Mi-24D.
Mi-25U- export version of the Mi-24DU.
Mi-35- export version of the Mi-24V.
Mi-35M1- modernized. It features TV3-117VMA engines, French avionics, and a shortened wing. The armament composition is similar to the Mi-24VP.
Mi-35M2- high-rise. It features TV3-117VMA-SBZ engines.
Mi-35M3- export version of the Mi-24VM.
Mi-35MO- night. It is distinguished by the optical-electronic system GOES-342. In 2000, 2 helicopters were converted.
Mi-35P- export version of the Mi-24P.
Mi-24 Super Hind MK.V- a deeply modernized Mi-24 helicopter from the South African company Advanced Technologies and Engineering (ATE) with electronic equipment from the French companies Sextant Avionics and Thomson CSF; demonstrated at the Paris Aerospace Exhibition in 1995. and at the MAKS-95 aerospace exhibition in Zhukovsky; equipped with an IR viewing system for the front hemisphere and a television camera, a helmet-mounted sight and night vision goggles and other systems developed for the Mi-28 helicopter. Armament is 20 mm automatic gun GI-2, 30 mm caliber grenade launcher, “Igla-B” air-to-air missile launcher, units with 70 mm caliber NAR and “Ataka” and “Sturm-B” ATGMs. Compared to the Mi-24, it has a lower structural weight and a larger static ceiling. It is in service in Algeria and Azerbaijan.
While studying the history of military art, I noticed that since ancient times there has been a tendency to increase the mobility and combat equipment of ground forces. The next step on this path was the development in the 60s of infantry fighting vehicles, equipped, in contrast to an unarmed car and a lightly armed armored personnel carrier, with a whole complex of multi-purpose weapons. Mil saw a further increase in the mobility of ground forces in the transition to “aerial infantry fighting vehicles,” i.e. well-armed transport and combat helicopters with high performance characteristics and combat survivability, designed for transportation and fire support of a rifle squad.
At that time, the idea of air mobility of troops was very fashionable and was widely discussed in the specialized literature. Mil was greatly influenced by the book of the American General Montross, “Air Cavalry,” published in 1957. The prospects for the development of army helicopter aviation developed in it were later embodied in the American UTTAS (multi-purpose tactical transport aircraft) program, a kind of “flying armored personnel carrier.” In contrast to this concept, which required the addition of a “flying tank” created under the DAN (advanced combat helicopter) program, a Soviet aircraft designer in the first half of the 60s developed a completely original system that combined both concepts in one vehicle. In those years, there was no helicopter capable of transporting a squad of soldiers in the Soviet air assault brigades, because... The Mi-4 was soon to be written off, the Mi-2 as a fighter turned out to be unsuccessful, and the creation of the Mi-22 (a kind of analogue of the Iroquois) was abandoned in favor of a heavier and well-armed device. It was assumed that the new machine would become the main army helicopter of the USSR for the coming decades.
Something similar was proposed by I.I. Sikorsky’s company when developing its S-67. But the United States had already launched large-scale production of the successful UH-1 Iroquois light helicopter, and no other means of transporting a squad of soldiers was required. Therefore, the Americans chose to supplement the Iroquois with the AN-1 Cobra attack helicopter, later replacing them with the duo of UH-60 Black Hawk and AN-64 Apache.
The Mil Design Bureau had accumulated considerable experience in building armed helicopters, and the chief designer confidently proposed his concept to the command of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union. He found allies among young military theorists from the Air Force research institutes and the Academy of the Ground Forces. But there were also opponents, mainly high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Defense, headed by Minister Marshal R.Ya. Malinovsky, who preferred more traditional means of armed struggle to combat helicopters. In 1967, Mil managed to persuade First Deputy Minister Marshal A.A. Grechko, who was sympathetic to the idea of an armed helicopter, to hold a scientific and technical council on this problem. Speaking to members of the NTS, the chief designer used impressive posters prepared by his staff. He covered all the main issues in detail, delving into purely military problems in such detail that even Grechko, who treated him favorably, could not resist and asked Mikhail Leontyevich to leave at least something for military specialists to study. Their reviews were very varied, including sharply negative ones. Thus, the head of the Main Political Directorate, Army General A.A. Epishev, stated: “We need to put the chief designer on a helicopter and send him to fight so that he can see for himself what nonsense he is proposing.” But on the whole, Mil’s proposal was approved, in which the support of the head of the Central Research Institute-30, General Molotkov, played a major role. The design bureau received the task of preparing a technical proposal for a new helicopter.
The OKB very quickly prepared two technical proposals. The first is for a seven-ton helicopter with one TV3-117 engine, and the second is for a helicopter weighing 10.5 tons with two of the same engines. OKB N.I. Kamov, having joined the program, proposed a cheaper solution: an armed version of the ship-borne Ka-25, which was already widely used in the fleet.
Work on equipping this aircraft with various weapons systems, including air-to-ground missiles, has long been carried out at the Ukhtomsk Helicopter Plant. Some military experts were inclined to Kamov's proposal, but ultimately the decision to equip the domestic Armed Forces with a newer and more powerful combat weapon prevailed. The greater experience of the Mil Design Bureau in creating armed helicopters for the army also played a role.
The final choice fell on the twin-engine version, which could carry a larger combat load and had better performance characteristics. The military assessed it positively, but demanded that the GSh-23 cannon proposed by the OKB be replaced with a high-speed large-caliber machine gun and that the main anti-tank weapon be not actually existing guided missiles, but a promising complex with a supersonic ATGM “Sturm” and semi-automatic guidance that was just being developed. The helicopter was to be equipped with a new sighting system, which included a stabilized operator sight, an automatic pilot sight and a laser rangefinder. As development progressed, it was planned to equip the helicopter with round-the-clock surveillance and targeting systems and elements of defense against weapons.
Compared to helicopters for other purposes, a combat helicopter must have higher horizontal flight speeds and better maneuverability characteristics for a covert approach to a target and reducing the time spent under enemy fire. The main task in creating such a machine was to obtain; the following data: maximum speed of at least 320-350 km/h, static ceiling of 1500-2000 m at elevated outside temperatures and maximum overload of 1.75 d at speeds of 100-250 km/h. The goal of achieving specific indicators of combat survivability and effectiveness was not set, because at that time, ideas about them were still very vague.
Detailed design of the helicopter, which later became known as the Mi-24, began in June 1968, immediately after the release of a joint resolution of the CPSU Central Committee and the Council of Ministers. The general management of all work on the helicopter was carried out personally by M.L. Mil, and after his death - by the new general designer M.N. Tishchenko. The creation of the new machine was directly headed by Deputy Chief Designer Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Kuznetsov, one of the oldest Soviet helicopter designers.
Design and construction proceeded at a rapid pace, and already in the summer of 1969 the first prototype of the helicopter was assembled. This was facilitated by Mil’s bold decision to fully or partially unify a significant part of the most complex and critical units of the new helicopter with those already tested on the Mi-8 and Mi-14. This approach was supposed to provide certain benefits both in the process of mass production, as well as in operation. First of all, they found application: engines, hub and rotor blades, tail rotor, swashplate, main gearbox and transmission. However, no matter how hard they tried to achieve complete unification, it was not possible, for example, the main rotor blades were made shorter.
The layout of the helicopter corresponded to its purpose. The Mi-24 had a classic single-rotor design with a five-bladed main rotor and a three-bladed tail rotor. The straight wing served not only for the suspension of weapons, but also created 19-25% of the total lift force in steady flight. The helicopter had a well-streamlined aerodynamic shape. Particular attention during the design was paid to reducing drag; the area of the equivalent plate of the helicopter's midsection in the transport version was 2-2.15 sq.m, and in the combat version - 2.75 sq.m (for the Mi-8 - 3 sq.m) .
A distinctive feature of the Mi-24 layout is the tilt of the main rotor shaft along with the power plant to the right of the vertical position by 2.5°, which is caused by the desire to increase the accuracy of shooting from a stationary weapon. The fact is that the characteristic features of helicopter flight dynamics are hovering with a slight roll and flight with a slight slip, caused by the need to balance the lateral component of the tail rotor thrust.
Thanks to the tilt of the shaft, the roll and sliding of the helicopter in all flight modes were minimal: roll - 0.5-1.5°, sliding - 1°. To unload the tail rotor when flying at high speed, the end beam had a relatively large area (2.8 sq.m) and an asymmetrical profile. At maximum speed, the keel generated two-thirds of the lateral force required to balance the rotor torque.
The single cockpit housed the gunner-operator and behind him, with a slight shift to the left, the pilot. In the design bureau this type of cabin was called “veranda”. The operator's task included detecting and recognizing targets, controlling a mobile machine gun mount, launching and targeting anti-tank missiles, and dropping bombs. In case of failure of the pilot, the operator's workplace was equipped with a second control. The pilot could fire from a fixed weapon on underwing mounts and a bow machine gun fixed along the axis of the helicopter. The cockpit was protected by side armor plates included in the power structure of the fuselage, a windshield bulletproof glass and an armored pilot's seat. In addition, armor was included in the hoods of the power plant. The crew was required to use helmets and body armor.
In the middle part of the helicopter there was a cargo compartment for 8 paratroopers, equipped with double-leaf doors on the sides that opened up and down. The lower door contained steps. The opening windows were equipped with pivot mounts, which allowed the paratroopers to fire from standard weapons. Both cabins formed a pressurized compartment, equipped with an air conditioning system with slight overpressure for safety when flying over contaminated areas. The cargo compartment was equipped with a side boom with an electric winch and could be used for evacuating the wounded and transporting cargo up to 1500 kg. Oversized cargo weighing up to 2500 kg could be transported on an external sling. The Mi-24 had a landing gear retractable into the fuselage, the niches of which were closed with flaps.
Electrical and radio equipment was located in the rear section of the fuselage. The Mi-24 was equipped with an autopilot, a small-sized gyro-vertical and heading system, a Doppler speed and drift angle meter, an automatic tablet, a short-range navigation radio system with an antenna feeder system, etc. The helicopter control was mechanical using four hydraulic boosters on a common plate mounted on the main gearbox. Stabilizer control is associated with main rotor pitch control. The hydraulic system consisted of three separate systems: main, backup and auxiliary.
The new two-shaft engine TV3-117, tested on the Mi-14 by chief designer S.P. Izotov, was one of the best at that time and was not inferior in its performance to foreign models. It had a takeoff power of 2200 hp, a nominal power of -1700 hp, and a specific weight of 0.117 kg/hp. and specific consumption 0.23-0.265 kg/hp/hour. If one of the engines stopped, the other automatically switched to takeoff mode. The fuel system consisted of five soft, protected tanks with a capacity of 2125 liters. Power was not interrupted if any of the tanks were damaged. In the distillation version, two metal tanks with a capacity of 1630 liters were installed inside the cargo compartment.
The Mi-24 was built much earlier than the weapons for which it was developed. Due to the unavailability of the Sturm complex and the high-speed machine gun, Mil decided to install on the first models of the combat helicopter the weapon of the K4V complex, which had proven itself well on the armed modifications of the Mi-4 and Mi-8. On removable frames installed on the fuselage under the cargo compartment doors, the Mi-24 received a pair of 9M17 ATGMs of the Phalanga-M anti-tank complex with a manual guidance system. The operator carried it out using a 9Sh121 tank sight, which had telescopic optics with a magnification of 8, and a radio command line. A mobile NUV-1 machine gun mount with a large-caliber A-12.7 machine gun and a simple collimator sight was mounted in the nose of the Mi-24. To four beam holders, two installed under each wing console, could be attached: NAR blocks of 32 S-5 missiles each, bombs of 100 and 250 kg caliber, or one tank with flammable liquid. The operator had an OPB-1R bomb sight. The pilot used a PKV collimator sight to fire the NUR.
The Mi-24 factory testing program began on September 19, 1969 with the first hover performed by test pilot G.V. Alferov. This copy, like the second one, assembled at the pilot production of the Moscow Helicopter Plant (MVZ), was used only for flight tests. Following them, an experimental series of 10 helicopters was laid down: 5 at the Moscow Helicopter Plant, 5 at the Arsenyevsky Progress Machine-Building Plant (of the latter, machine No. 1 was intended for endurance testing). All factory research under the Mi-24 test programs was carried out on them. In addition to Alferov, pilots G.R. Karapetyan and M. Material, flight mechanics V. Tarabukhin and F. Novikov were honored during the flights. B.V. Smyslov was appointed leading flight test engineer. During one of the first demonstrations of the Mi-24 to the Air Force command, a tragedy occurred. The pilot of the helicopter, M.Materialny, wanted to demonstrate it to the generals as effectively as possible, but made a mistake, and the machine crashed into the shower room of a textile factory adjacent to the cost center. The pilot and V. Tarabukhin and B. Smyslov, who were on board, died.
State tests began in June 1970 and lasted a year and a half. They were carried out intensively, sometimes with the participation of 16 vehicles at the same time, and generally confirmed the calculated data. In the combat helicopter version, i.e. only with weapons, without landing troops, the Mi-24 with a normal take-off weight of 11 tons had a maximum speed of 320 km/h and a cruising speed of 270 km/h, and in a transport speed of 340 km/h and 280 km/h, respectively. A large excess of power at speeds of 100-200 km/h ensured a vertical rate of climb of up to 16 m/s and acceleration with an acceleration of 3-3.5 m/s2. If one of the engines failed, the helicopter could continue flying on the other for an hour. Under ISA conditions, the static ceiling outside the influence of the ground was 1400 m, and the practical ceiling was 4950 m. The flight range was 450 km, the ferry range was 1000 km. At flight speeds of 100-250 km/h, a vertical overload of 1.75 d was provided at a normal take-off weight. During testing of the Mi-24, a number of strength and service life problems were successfully resolved, and measures were taken to eliminate increased vibrations. Despite the significant increase in flight speeds compared to the Mi-8, the level of fuselage vibrations turned out to be relatively low.
However, the testers also encountered a number of problems that required significant changes to be made to the design from a helicopter. At speeds above 200 km/h with the autopilot turned off and in the presence of external disturbances, the Mi-24 was prone to undamped or weakly damped oscillations in heading and roll (such as a “Dutch step”), which forced the pilots to constantly intervene in the controls. To improve lateral stability, the designers decided to install a wing with a negative transverse “V”.
It also turned out that the placement of an ATGM on the fuselage is unsuccessful, because when firing NAR there is a danger of their contact. In this regard, the ATGM mounting units were moved to special pylons mounted on the wingtips, which thus received its characteristic silhouette.
The new wing was first installed at the end of 1970 on two prototypes modified at the Moscow Helicopter Plant, which also featured an extended cockpit. The latest decision was caused by the fact that the previous cabin turned out to be too cramped to accommodate a high-speed machine gun and the new Raduga-F sighting system, designed for semi-automatic guidance of ATGMs. However, due to the delay in fine-tuning the new weapons, the first production Mi-24s were built with the Phalanga-M complexes and the A-12.7 machine gun. They entered the troops under the name Mi-24A.
“Twenty-fours” of the first serial modification were built in Arsenyev for 5 years. In total, about 250 Mi-24A were built. A number of helicopters were produced in the training version of the Mi-24U, which was tested in 1972. This version differed from the combat version in the absence of a bow machine gun, instead of which a full-fledged set of flight and navigation equipment and standard control levers were installed in the front cockpit of the instructor pilot. Flight crews and ground personnel were trained on the Mi-24A. The experience they acquired served to further improve the helicopter, increasing its reliability and efficiency.
During the period of serial production, the Design Bureau continued to improve the helicopter's armament. The new experimental modification was named Mi-24B. It differed from the Mi-24 and Mi-24A by the mobile USPU-24 machine gun mount with a high-rate (4000-4500 rounds/min) YakB-12.7 machine gun (Yakushev-Borzov), controlled remotely using the KPS-53AV sighting station. The mobile small arms system (SPSV-24) included an analog computer interfaced with a system of on-board parameter sensors, thanks to which the installation automatically entered corrections when firing. In addition, the Mi-24B was equipped with the Phalanga-PV anti-tank complex with the Raduga-F guidance system. This increased the probability of missiles hitting the target by 3-4 times. The gyro-stabilized guidance device allowed the helicopter to maneuver within +-60° along the course while aiming the missile at the target, which significantly increased its combat effectiveness.
Experienced Mi-24Bs successfully passed the first stage of testing in 1971-1972, but their development was stopped. Experience in operating the Mi-24A in units revealed a serious drawback - unsatisfactory visibility from the cockpit. The Design Bureau eliminated it at the beginning of 1971, designing a fundamentally new bow: the pilot and operator were placed in isolated cabins in tandem and at different levels (both cabins had armored glass).
At the same time, it was possible to get rid of shadowing by the design elements of the Raduga-F system surveillance device and the command radio control line antenna in the +-60° azimuth sector, which was achieved by installing the systems on the sides below the fuselage contour. The cartridge box located in the cockpit on the Mi-24A was moved below floor level and began to be serviced from the outside.
In addition, pilots complained that in some flight conditions (for example, hovering with a left crosswind in ground influence conditions), they did not have enough directional control reserve. This problem was solved in 1974 by moving the tail rotor from the starboard side to the left. The propeller turned from a pushing one into a pulling one, the losses from the beam blowing increased, but due to the change in the direction of rotation, its peripheral speed began to add up to the inductive flow of the main rotor, as a result, the thrust of the tail rotor increased significantly. This is how the appearance of the Mi-24 helicopter was finally formed.
Mi-24A began to enter service with the troops in 1970-1971. The vehicle was first mastered at the Voronezh branch of the 4th Center for Combat Use and Retraining (CBPP). It was followed by Air Force regiments stationed in Chernigovka (Far Eastern Military District), Brody (Prikarpatsky Military District), Parchim and Stendal (both from the GSVG Air Force). Later, regiments were added to them in Pruzhany (Belarusian Military District), Magocha (Trans-Baikal Military District), Raukhovka (Odessa Military District), Berdichev (Carpathian Military District), etc. In total, by the beginning of the 80s. in the Soviet Army there were about 15 separate combat helicopter regiments (OBVP). As a rule, each of these units consisted of three squadrons: two of 20 Mi-24s and one of 20 Mi-8s. In addition, the “twenty-fours” were included in separate helicopter combat control regiments (OVPBU), and with the formation of army aviation structures, in separate helicopter squadrons under combined arms divisions.
Pilots who flew the first Mi-24A noted their good maneuverability and controllability. The vehicles made it possible to perform combat turns with a roll exceeding 60°, climb with a pitch angle of up to 50°, turns on a hill, etc. However, the first “twenty-fours” were still very far from perfect. First of all, complaints were caused by “crude” engines, the service life of which did not exceed 50 hours, and poor visibility from the pilot’s workplace. It also turned out that when flying at low altitude at night, ground lights were reflected in the flat glass of the “veranda,” which significantly impaired visibility, and sometimes even led to the pilot losing spatial orientation. A significant drawback was the helicopter's tendency to rotate in a horizontal plane. This phenomenon occurred while hovering with strong gusts of side wind, and often it could not be stopped even by a full kick, which led to flight accidents.
Such important units as the gearbox, hub and main rotor blades did not cause any special comments, and the failures that occurred were mainly associated with maintenance errors. But sometimes these units also presented unpleasant surprises. So, in 1976, on A.S. Dubrovsky’s helicopter, a rotor blade caught fire due to a short circuit in the electrical wiring of the anti-icing system. It was possible to cope with the fire only by turning off all power sources on board. Despite the fact that several sections of the blade burned out, the flight ended safely. (In the history of the Mi-24, there are many cases where the blades were damaged from collisions with trees, birds, other helicopters, air defense fire, etc., but most often, even with very significant damage, incidents of this kind ended without tragic consequences. )
The retractable landing gear brought unique problems. Pilots accustomed to the Mi-4 or Mi-8 often forgot to put it away after takeoff and, even worse, to release it upon landing. This led to very serious accidents. Another significant drawback was the lack of full control by the pilot operator. Only real aces could land from his workplace.
The weapon system carried over from the Mi-4 did not allow for effective fire support missions. ATGMs caused especially a lot of trouble, the accuracy of which did not exceed 30%.
The Soviet Union supplied the Mi-24 of various modifications to 21 countries. In less than 20 years, the “twenty-four” took part in more than three dozen local wars and armed incidents - it can be considered the most “belligerent” of combat helicopters.
The first appearance of the Mi-24 over the battlefield was noted by Western observers in early 1978 during the Ethiopian-Somali war. Piloted by Cuban pilots, the T24s attacked the armored vehicles and artillery positions of the Somali General Spud Barre. Due to the weakness of the enemy's air defense, these actions took place with virtual impunity. After the expulsion of the Somalis, a protracted civil war began in Ethiopia, during which government forces deployed more than 40 Mi-24A. They were used as fire support helicopters, with the main weapon being the S-5 rockets. According to available information, there were no casualties in the air. But on the ground, Eritrean separatists managed to destroy several T24s during an attack on the Asmara airbase on the night of May 20-21, 1984.
Soviet military advisers worked in the Ethiopian government army, taking part in the maintenance of helicopters and training aviation personnel. One of them, Mr. S.A. Melnichenko, recalls: “In 1988, Mi-25s arrived from the USSR. Graduates of the local flight school flew them, and did it very successfully. In addition to performing the usual tasks for the “twenty-four”, they had to fight in the Red Sea with high-speed boats of the separatists, which suddenly attacked ships standing under unloading, after which they disappeared with lightning speed. The helicopter pilots destroyed 8 boats, after which the enemy abandoned their further use. In February 1989, UPK-23-250 were very successfully used against tanks. A column of armored vehicles moving along the road in a mountain gorge was alternately attacked from the rear by two groups of Mi-25s, which destroyed 8 tanks with cannon fire.” As the conflict developed, the separatists managed to shoot down several Mi-24As. The Mi-25, at least until the beginning of 1990, avoided this fate, but still one aircraft was lost as a result of landing with the landing gear not extended. After the cessation of supplies of spare parts from the USSR, most of the helicopter fleet fell into disrepair. Some vehicles were hijacked by the enemy and were used in battles until 1991, when Ethiopia split into two states.
The first Mi-24A and Mi-25 appeared in Afghanistan in April 1979. They immediately found use in actions against the forces of “irreconcilable opposition.” The T24s were used very effectively by Afghan pilots, but despite the weak air defense of the Mujahideen at that time, there were some losses. The first Mi-24 was shot down on May 30. Fired from the ground, it crashed into a mountain near Khost. The DRA leaders persistently asked Moscow for the supply of an additional batch of 20-25 such vehicles. However, the Afghan army received new Mi-24s only after the entry of Soviet troops into the country.
Libya actively used its Mi-24A and Mi-25 in Chad during the civil war between the Libyan group of G. Weddey and the regime of H. Habré.
Modifications:
Mi-24 - experimental vehicles, cabin with a "veranda", weapons: in the nose - a mobile machine gun mount Nuv-1 with an A-12.7 machine gun, NURS C-5 units and 4 ATGM 9M17 anti-tank complex "Phalanga-M" (externally - they are so small, with a rather large wing for such a rocket).
Mi-24A is practically the same (the cabin is slightly longer), only in series. About 250 vehicles were built.
The Mi-24B is an analogue of the Mi-24A, except for the weapons - in the nose there was a mobile USPU-24 machine gun mount with a YAKB-12.7 machine gun. I did not go into production due to unsatisfactory visibility from the cockpit.
Mi-24BMT is a minesweeper based on the Mi-24A. All weapons, armor and wings have been removed. A trawl device and additional equipment have been installed. fuel tank. Made in a single copy (1974), never included in the series.
A-10 - a specially lightweight wingless version of the Mi-24A for record flights (1975). In a single copy.
Mi-24U - training modification. It differed from the combat one in the absence of a bow machine gun, instead of which full-fledged flight and navigation equipment and standard control levers were installed in the front cockpit of the instructor pilot.
Modification: Mi-24A
Main rotor diameter, m: 17.30
Tail rotor diameter, m: 3.91
Length, m: 21.50
Height, m: —
Wingspan, m: 6.66
Rotating propeller area, m2: 235.00
Weight, kg
-empty: 7675
-normal takeoff: 10500
-maximum takeoff: 11000
Engine type: 2 x TVaD TV3-117
-power, hp: 2 x 2200
Maximum speed, km/h: 320
Cruising speed, km/h: 270
Ferry range, km: 1000
Practical range, km: 450
Practical ceiling, m: 4950
Static ceiling, m: 1400
Crew, persons: 3
Payload: up to 8 soldiers or 4 stretchers or 1500 kg of cargo (maximum 2400 kg) or 2000 kg on an external sling.
Armament: 1 x 12.7 mm A-12.7 machine gun (on a mobile NUV-1 mount, BK-900 rounds);
Combat load: up to 1275 kg on 6 hardpoints - 4 x ATGM 9M17M Phalanga-M, 4 x UB-32A-24 (128 NAR S-5M1, S-5MO, S-5KBP, S-5KO and S-5-O ), 8 x OFAB-100, 4 x OFAB-250, 4 x RBK-250, 2 x RBC-500, 2 x KMGU-2, 2 x ODAB-500, 2 x ZB-500.
The first prototype of the prototype B-24.
The second prototype of the prototype B-24 in flight.
Record helicopter A-10 (Mi-24A).
Mi-24A from the installation series produced in 1970.
Mi-24A of late production series.
Vietnamese Air Force Mi-24A in flight.
Ethiopian Air Force Mi-24A.
Now the Soviet fighter is in service with the air forces of 18 countries, including two NATO member states - Romania and Croatia. Since 1960, the MiG-21 has been in service with the armies of about 40 countries. Chinese fighters The J-7 remains in service in an additional 13 countries. China, Russia and Ukraine are still repairing and improving existing aircraft.
Modern MiG-21s are very different from the fighter that rolled off the production line in 1959. They are equipped with completely different, more complex weapon systems, including R-60 AAM, Magic 2 and Python III missiles. This makes them much more lethal compared to their Soviet predecessors. Moreover, they are equipped with more advanced electronic equipment and radar systems, which allows them to carry high-precision guided missiles on board.
Will the MiG-21 remain in service in 2059?
China stopped producing the J-7, which means we watched as last option MiG-21. Croatia and Romania will retire the MIG-21 in the next five years. After several accidents, India also plans to retire its MiG-21s (if it manages to buy or independently create a replacement for them). Chinese J-7s are now used mostly for training purposes.
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