Russia’s Mi-17Sh Storm Military Transport Helicopter

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The Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant presented its Mi-171Sh Storm military transport helicopter and announced that it would enter mass production in 2022.

The Mi-171Sh Storm is, essentially, the export name of the Mi-8AMTSh model.

“The serial production of the modernized Mi-171Sh helicopter will begin in 2022,” Mikhail Karpushkin, a deputy head of the marketing, sales and maintenance department of the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant told Tass during last week’s Army-2020 International Military and Technical Forum.

The Mi-171Sh is the latest updated version of the Mi-17, which entered service in the Soviet Red Army in the 1970s and which saw use as an armed gunship version.

The Mi-171Sh was introduced to the world market in 2002 and has been widely exported to clients in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe.

It is unique in that it was ordered even by NATO members – some of them were sold to Croatia, as well as the Czech Republic, between 2005 and 2008. “It is known that Russia exports its helicopters to almost any international buyer, including the United States,” the National Interest reported.

The Mi-171Sh can be deployed on a range of missions, including the airlifting of assault forces, transportation of cargoes, troop fire support, air-to-surface attack, escort of the military columns, medical evacuation and combat search and rescue (CSAR) operations.

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In 2009, the Russian Ministry of Defense ordered the Mi-171Sh as part of the modernization programme of the Russian Armed Forces.

UUAP delivered the first batch of ten Mi-171AMTSh (Russian designation of Mi-171Sh) helicopters in December 2010. The second batch of helicopters was delivered in June 2011.

The Mi-171Sh was specifically designed for operating in combat missions in local armed conflicts. The design incorporates a five-bladed main rotor, a tail rotor and non-retractable tricycle nose-wheel landing gear.

The glassed-in cockpit accommodates three crew and cabin houses up to 36 troops, or up to 12 casualties on stretchers.

The helicopters are equipped with modern avionics and instrumental equipment, to operate in all weather conditions at any time of the day.

The armor protection provided over the crew cabin and vital units increases the combat survivability of the helicopter.

The helicopter has an IR-decoy dispensing system to counter an infrared homing surface-to-air missile or air-to-air missile.

The fuel tank self-sealing covers and polyurethane foam protection avoid the possibility of fuel explosions and leakage in case of combat damage.

The Mi-171Sh is armed with a Shturm-V high-precision guided missile system.

The missiles can destroy modern battle tanks protected by explosive reactive armor, fortified points and aerial targets.

The Shturm-V missile complex launches Ataka supersonic missiles equipped with a hollow-charge warhead for defeating armored targets. The missile can destroy aerial targets with a fragmentation warhead and lightly armored combat materiel by using a high-explosive warhead.

The Mi-171Sh is also provided with hardpoints to carry up to 80 S-8 unguided rockets and GSh-23L 23mm cannons, with an ammunition load of 500 rounds.

Small arms, such as the 7.62mm PKT machine gun, PK machine gun and RPK light machine gun, are mounted in the nose and rear fuselage sections.

The multifunctional cargo cabin has a length of 5.34m, width of 2.34m and a height of 1.8m. It provides enough internal space to carry 4,000kg of payload.

“The Mi-171Sh was specifically designed for operating in combat missions in local armed conflicts.”

The Mi-171Sh is powered by two Klimov TV3-117VM turboshaft engines mounted on top of the fuselage. Each engine is rated at 1,641kW. The helicopter can be optionally fitted with two VK-2500 turboshaft engines, each rated at 2,700hp.

The Mi-171Sh can fly at a maximum altitude of 6,000m. The maximum speed of the helicopter is 250km/h. The range (without auxiliary fuel tanks) is 580km.

The helicopter has a maximum take-off weight of 13,000kg.

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