Russia’s Mi-34M1, Small Helicopter With Big Attack Potentials, Made Maiden Flight (Video)

Click to see full-size image. (Rostec)

Russia’s Mi-34M1 light helicopter, powered by the new domestically produced VK-650V engine, has completed its maiden flight, CEO of Russian Helicopters Holding – part of the Rostec state corporation – Nikolay Kolesov announced on December 30.

“The Mi-34M1 is designed not only to complement the line of domestically produced rotorcraft, but, without exaggeration, to strengthen Russia’s technological independence and take our industry to a new level. Certification testing and serial production of the Mi-34M1, which will undoubtedly be highly appreciated by operators, are ahead,” Kolesov was quoted by Rostec as saying.

The helicopter took off under the guidance of Sergey Barkov, a test pilot at the Mil and Kamov National Helicopter Center, a subsidiary of Russian Helicopters.

The flight tested the helicopter’s stability and controllability, and the loads on its main components were determined in level flight with turns.

“During the first flight of the Mi-34M1, the powerplant operated normally. The latest Russian engine has technical characteristics that will improve the operational capabilities of the helicopter,” Alexander Grachev, the General Director of the United Engine Corporation, according to Rsotec.

The VK-650V delivers up to 650 hp, with a fuel consumption of 245 gallons per hour. According to Rostec, the engine features a modular design, with a digital automatic control system.

The Mi-34 was originally developed during the Soviet era by the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant as a replacement for older models like the Mi-1 and Mi-2.

It made its first ever flight in 1986, and debuted internationally at the 1987 Paris Air Show. Later in 1993, it entered limited production.

Recently, the project was revived to fulfill Russia’s need for a domestic light multirole helicopter with the introduction of the Mi-34M1 with the VK-650V engine.

No military version of the Mi-34M1 has been presented yet, and it is unclear if there are even any plans for such a version. However, the specifications of the helicopter, which are comparable to France’s Aérospatiale Gazelle and the United States’s MD 500, makes it very suitable for such a role.

A military version of the helicopter could be used as a light assault platform for precision insertion and extraction of special operations forces in confined urban or restricted areas, such as rooftops and narrow streets. For this, it can be outfitted with outboard “benches” and fast-roping equipment.

The helicopter could be also armed with light guided munitions and employed as a fast, low observable, tank and drone hunter.

Russia already has many light guided munitions that can be easily integrated into the helicopter, like the X-BPLA, an air-launched version of the Kornet-D with guidance and a range of eight kilometers, or the S-8L, a guided version of the S-8 rocket, with a range of six kilometers. Both munitions are specially designed for launch from aerial platforms and utilize semi-active laser guidance.

The helicopter can, of course, also carry more traditional weapons, like S-8 unguided rockets and pods equipped with the GShG-7.62 machine gun.

While only a few units of the Russian military, mainly special forces, would be interested in a military version of the Mi-34M1, such a version could see much success in export, especially with armies in the Middle East and Africa looking for a cheap alternative for U.S. and French light military helicopters.

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