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· D B 148 94
ENGLISH TITLE: The MI-24: The realization of a concept
Tl\ANSLATION OF: Kryl ya rodiuy. 1989. No. 5, 24-26.
DATE: July 19, 1990
LANGUAGE: Russian. COUNTRY : Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
AUTHOR AFFILIATION) : Aleksey RADIN.
REQUESTER : AIFRBC Catlett).
TRANS LATOR : Language Learning Enterprises.
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The contents of this publication have been translated as presented in the original text. No attempt has been made to verify theaccuracy of any statement contained herein. This translation has been published with a minimum of copy editing and graphicspreparation in order to expedite the dissemination of information.
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Mi-24--Implementation of the Concept(Mi-24--0sushchestvlenyiye kontsepts i i )
by
Aleksey Radin, EngineerFrom Kryl ya rodiny, May 1989, pp. 24-26
In the ear ly 1960 s, Mikhail Leont•evich M il , the designerand sc ien t i s t , under whose leadership were developed the Mi-l,Mi-4, Mi-6, Mi-2 piston and gas turbine hel icopters and otherhel icopters , proposed develop:ng a special assaul t hel icopter[hel icopter gunship] for the armed forces. Many mili tarycommanders and aviat ion specia l is ts greeted his proposal withbewilderment, to say the leas t , and some were extremely c r i t i ca l .
A discussion broke out. According to some of i t spar t ic ipants , veteran hel icopter bui lders , t ~ s an acrimoniousdebate. After a l l the subject was an extremely complex and cost lylong-range program, whose end re su l t was far from clear toeveryone.
M. L. Mil s opponents in pr inciple were for the developmentof a new kind of hel icopter for the army. The mili tary conf l ic tin Korea in the 1950 s and a number of mil i ta ry exercises showedthe effect iveness of such a i rc ra f t in mili tary operat ions, fort ranspor ta t ion and communications, for medical evacuation, forreconnaissance and for adjust ing a r t i l l e ry f i re . The opponents ofthe new program said tha t the hel icopter had proved i t s e l f forthese and s imi lar purposes, but tha t t would be utopian todevelop a hel icopter for use on the bat t le f ie ld , where tankslorded t on the ground and supersonic a i rc ra f t with powerful
weapons reigned over i t . I t was manifestly clear tha t theprobabi l i ty of the hel icopter s br ie f survival in the a i r inmodern ba t t l e was vi r tua l ly ni l .
His opponents based t he i r negative react ion to thedevelopment and the decision for a special ized hel icopter for thearmed forces on what were, a t f i r s t glance, qui te persuasivecomparisons and examples.
Now in the 1960 s, does t make any sense to propose tha tthe armed forces use an a i rc ra f t on the ba t t l e f i e ld tha t has aspeed only s l ight ly higher than one tenth the speed of modernplanes which t wil l encounter in i t s missions, or with armor
twenty to twenty-five t imes thinner, or with a cal iber of weaponone tenth tha t of the tanks which the hel icopter i s designed toattack? Do the designers ser iously suggest tha t the hel icopter screw wil l have any kind of chance executing i t s combat missionand s t r ik ing the t a rget in contact with such enemies?
Even success in assaul t ing infantry subunits i s doubtful.After a l l , in addit ion to having conventional tube weapons, say,such as large-cal iber machineguns so dangerous for low-flyinghel icopters , they also have portable ant ia i rc raf t systems.Equipped with infrared homing warhead missi les , they are capableof destroying even high-speed hel icopters , and our vehicle couldonly develop a maxiy of 300 km/h. I t i s no accident , theopponents e m p h a s i z e < ~ in conclusion tha t they are not buildingsuch hel icopters abroad. They simply do not see any sense in i t .
Such opinions ref lec ted the level of mil i tary knowledge andviews in the ~ r l y 1960 s on the hel icopter s capabil i ty .However, time showed tha t M. L. Mil and his supporters werelooking far ther , and were correc t ly evaluat ing the prospects forthe hel icopter , probable forms and methods of using it in bat t lecorresponding to the t ac t ica l and technical features t he i rproposed vehic le would possess. Convinced of the correctness oft he i r concept, they began to carry it out in pract ice .
.. .,,. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .
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To verify just how much foresight , in terms of both the
technical as well as mili tary and tac t ical respects, was in theconcept of the Soviet advocates of a speci&lized helicopter forthe batt lefield in the 1960's, i t is suff ic ient to glance a tforeign aviation journals from the middle of the next decade. Inthem are materials of mili tary and aviat ion experts andjournal ists that tes t i fy to the fact that an assault helicopterto an increasingly greater degree has become one of the principalkinds of defensive weapons of modern army large formations.
A great many pages are taken up with theoret ic ar t ic les ,descriptions and photographs of NATO assault hel icopters-- the
Cobra and Apache and others, with examples of their use in
the course of various exercises and small mili tary confl ic ts .The authors note the high degree of effect iveness of special izedassault helicopters, and they emphasize their higher rate ofsurvivabil i ty in comparison with other kinds of vehicles andtheir special capabili ty of attacking targets suddenly andavoiding counterstrikes. To accomplish th is the i r crews use anespecially low al t i tude (between 0 and 15 m in approaching thetarget ; radar sees a target close to the ground poorly, andmissiles with infrared homing warheads loss their effectiveness.
The unique capabili ty of a helicopter to change the speedfrom maximum to zero, to f ly on i t s side, with i t s t a i l forward,to maneuver abruptly near the ground i t se l f , to use terra in
re l ie f for cover reduces i t s vulnerability. I t was no accidentthat a prominent French general once characterized the assaulthelicopter as the king of the sky near the ground.
They especially often write abroad about the role of assaul thelicopters in operations against mobile tank formations. In thesummer of 1980, the American journal Army Aviation Digest inpart icular described such an operation, which the press termstypical for the armies of NATO. These publications revealed theautual s t r ike and defensive capabil i t ies of the assaulthelicopter in general and in part icular i t s chances of survivingover a modern bat t lef ie ld , and what M. L. Mil's supporters weresaying almost two decades ago and what his detractors and those
opposed to the development of such a helicopter were saying.
The actions of a helicopter unit in a typical operation ,judging by their accounts in western journals, in exercisesproceed in the following fashion:
. . • After receiving the order to halt the movement of enemy tanksheading toward a key center of defense, a helicopter group f l iesto the departure positions in the area of probable enemymovement. The commander's helicopter conducts reconnaissance.Using the features of the terrain, the helicopter f l ies at analt i tude above the treetops. This does not allow enemy planes todetect the reconnaissance helicopter, and i f there is detectioni t minimizes the opportunity of an effective attack, since in the
air near the ground guided missiles are marginally effective,In an attack using cannons or free-flying missile w a r h e ~ d s theinterceptor 's pilot must aim at a target capable of sharplychanging al·titude and speed, down to zero even, deviating on anyheading and evading behind ground cover. Any of these maneuversby the plane at minimal altitude carries the threat of crashinginto the ground. The helicopter 's crow, evading the strike, cansand into pursuit tho plana pulling out from the attack with aguided m i ~ s i l e and destroy i t . (The press reported a case of ~ u c han unfavorable air batt le outcome for a plane.)
Using the technical capabilit ies of i t s helicopter, the crewwhile hovering observes the approaching tanks, concealed for
example behind tho c r o w n ~ of trees, or behind a hi l l or simplybehind a building. When additional observation of tho tanka isnecessary, the reconnaissance helicopter changes positionsteal thi ly. After evaluating the situation, the commander ordershis group to fly into the region that will permit an assault ontho enemy from various axes within the effective range of fire ofhelicopter antitank guided missiles (PTUR) • Just as the tanks andtheir c c o m p n y i ~ g antiaircraft weapons begin to enter this area,tho h o l i c o p t e r ~ execute a vertical takaof.f ovor t h ~ covor (aocalled gallop up ) and t rain burste of guided miss ileus ontargets that were assigned among the crews in advance.
since tha effective range of several types of PTUR oxcoedstho effective range of antiaircraft tube art i l lery thehelicopter crewB, taking their machines right down to tho ground,ctrikc targets while staying outside the danger zone of airdefense. Strike probability of helicopter PTUR is very high--upto 90 . After firing the missile, tho helicopters immediatolyhead for cover and fly to another position chosen in e d v n ~ e fora ropoat &trike.
In situations of an unexpected encounter of the helicoptersp ~ s s i n g by a building with mobile antiaircraft mounts or withinfantry subunits with portable antiaircraft missile syotems, thecrews activate tho on-board free-swinging machinegun mount and
deception equipment for IF warheads of homing missiles, and theyquickly exit the danger zone. The crew is protected from themachj.neguns of the intantry by the armored cabin and bulletproot glass.
Military experts, analyzing tho reaults t a aerie• o ~4
mnneuvera and exorcises conducted by NATO troops stress that theloss rat io in helicopter against tanlt operations fluctuates, asreported in particular by l ~ n a t i o n a l ~ ~ between1:12 up to 1:19 in favor of helicopters.
In sum in the late 1970 s facing the facts, M L Mil sopponents acknowledged the effectiveness of assault helicoptersand in particular their high level of survivability in executingprimary missions on the field of batt le . Design ideas began to bet u r n ~ d into concrete solutions component by component.
Natural Development of the Concept
A team of the experimental design bureau headed by M L.Mil was o11a of the f i rs t to conduct testa using a helicopter asa platform for guided missile weapons. {PTUR firing had alreadybeen conducted from an Mi-l helicopter). t was the f i rs t tointroduce in helicopter construction the buil t- in, swingingmachinsgun mount as an organic weapon on the Mi-4 helicopter).
For this reason the appearance in the sky in the late 1960 s oftho Soviet Mi-24 specialized assault helicopter is the naturalstage of development of a progressive concept. What kind of ahelicopter is this?
The prototype Mi-24 {see sketch) is a classic, single-rotordesign helicopter with twin turbine engines. Based on conductedresearch, the experimental design bureau team and i t s leader
o n s ~ d e r e d this design to be the best for an assault helicopter,also from the point of view of combat survivability. Should oneof i t s anginas be damaged, the crew can in theory continua toexecute the combat operatior,, Flight is ensured by t h ~ secondengine autontatically operating at maximum capacity. Should both
engines go out of service, the helicopter can execute a landingon avon a small pad because of the exceptional autorotationalfeatures of the main rotor (carrying systemJ and the excellent
h o d i n ~ controllabil i ty during autorotation that is ensured bythe continuous operation of the steering rotor. In case thesteering rotor is lost , i t is possible to continue flying atstarting speod and to executa a landing airplane-style.
The booster elements of the control system for the mainrotor alao make the single-rotor design preferable in terms ofcombat survivability, even when compared to more powerful twinrotor helicopters of the same,flying weight. Some expansion of
tho lateral surface area of thoh ~ l i c o p t e r
with ata i l
boomM•
LMil considered insignificant. t would be unlikely that anyonowould t rain aimed fi re directly at the, compared to the fuselage,narrow boom and the transmission parts running through i t to theta i l rotor.
Afterwards assault helicopter dosiqners in the Wast ware
apparently guided by similar considerations, Every existinghelicopter of this type, for examplo, tho 11Huey Cobra, Apache,and Mongoose and newly designod ones are built or are beingdeveloped according to this design.
In contrast to his preceding helicopters, in the Mi-24 M L.Mil' situated the two-man crew in a new way--one on top of theother. This lowered frontal aerodynamic resistance of thehelicopter, whj,le at the same time reducing the probability oflosing two pilota to a striko from the most dangerous direction,tho front. such a crow seating arrangement for assaulthelicopters has now bocome practically universal.
Aft of tho pilots ' cockpit in the Mi-24, thoro is a cabinfor g u n n ~ r s wlth accommodations for several persons. ts
opocially deaignod doors make i t p o o ~ i l o for tho gunners to exittho chip quickly aftor landing. Adequately strong armor has beenincluded in tho d e ~ i g n of both cabins to protect crew members andair assault troops from small-arms t i re and fla k. Radundantcontrol has boon established in tho hBlicoptor to enhance i t s
survivability in battle.t
tho commander occupying tho rear seatis wounded, control of the helicopter is assumed by tho operatorpilot si t t ing in the forward seat.
Mi-24 helicopters aro equipped with thea most modern missiJ.eand machinagun weapons. suspended pods for four packs of freeflight missiles are arranged below tho short wings. Aerial bombAcan be suspended in them. Fastoning attachments for guidedmiscilos PTUR) aro arranged on tho ends of the wings, In thonoso part t tho craw's cabin is a froo swinging machinegunmount--a largo calibor machinogun. Each window in tho air assnulttroops cabin ia equipped with a drawbolt mount which can bo usedto firo ono 1a own weapons directly from on board tho h ~ l i c o p t e r
The world aviation p r e ~ s showed a great doal of intorostwhen tho prototype Mi-24 and i ts succeeding aarios modolmappeared in tho §kie=. B a ~ o d on c o n v o r ~ a t i o n = with their expert=,especially military experts, who were invited aa obaorvers atvarious Warsaw Pact exorcises and maneuvers, t o r a i ~ n journalmhave published and s t i l l publish quite a t i t of material on thissov1et helicopter and i t s photographs. This heightened interestin tho Mi-24 is natural, since itm development in tnot was a new6tep in world helicopter building, in par.ticular in m i l i t ~ r yholicoptor building.
one of tho Mi-241
s special foaturos isi ts
spood, Thishalicoptor was ar:d s t i l l is to this day tha fastest assaulthglicoptor. In 1979, in ono of thcaso holicoptor• w'lth thodaaiqnation A-lo, thea ott icial all-timo world apood record toroloan w hcllliooptars was ostablishod at 369.4 km/h. Tho
holiooptors aohiovad such high spoods thanks to oxcellentaerodynamic features, in particular, the u•• t a retractable
u n d o r c a r r i a ~ · .Mikhail Loont•avioh Mil' diad in 1970. Hi• concept t r a
bnttlaf iold helicopter, realized only in i t • ini t i l mtago duringhis lifetime, was continued and developed by his colleagues andstudents headed t Gonaral Designer Marat NikolayevichTishchenko. Se'' 'ru.A. modifications to the helicopter (aaephotographs) h ~ v o been mada based on the primary model, since the
day of the prototype's f i rs t flight. Designers used in these thela tes t achievements of aviation science and technology to enablethe helicopter to respond more completely to growing requirementsof tho times.
In the lower photograph is one of the Mi-24 variants withtho cabin configuration considerably changed. In particular i t s
roar section is l i f ted up over the forward section. This greatlyimproved the crew commander s vis ibi l i ty . Instead of the singlebarrel machinegun, a tour-barrel gun in a special nose turret wasact up. The steering rotor was shifted from the opposite aide of.the fin. The sight system was changed. The engine air-intakeports were equipped with dust-protectors. To reduce IR radiation,
the exhaust nozzles wero covered with so-called exhauat screens.Other changes were also made to the helicopter. As a whole theyconsiderably onhancod i t s combat ettootiveness.
In accord with the experience of the development and dallyoperations of the Mi-24, practically every modification of i t
improved the original prototype. And although they are quitedifferent from the f i rs t helicopter in external appearance and,most important, in combat effectiveness, the ini t i l marking hasremained. In the history of helicopter construction, the f i rs t
model of the Mi-24 helicopter occupied a special place, indeedprecisely the place of forefather of the tamily of specialized
assault helicopters.
wwithout auxiliary engines supplying horizontal thrust (TRD[turbojet engine], air rotor-propellers and others.) .
PHOTO CAPTIONS: Mi-24 before f l ight (facing cover) Mi-24prototype (lower insert) Mi-24 of the f i rs t series (upper, p.24) ono of the variants of a la ter series (lower, p. 24)
