The Soviet Union's ubiquitous and versatile helicopter, first flown in 1961 and still in production, and which has served worldwide and participated in many conflicts and in many roles, is fully documented here from first-hand Russian sources, with much fresh information and photos. Over the years, the Mi-8 and its variants have become veritable aerial workhorses, participating in countless conflicts. Its best-known role was probably in the Soviet war in Afghanistan, where the type provided sterling service in transport, close air support, search and rescue and medical evacuation. Other wars in which the Mi-8 had been involved include the Indo-Pakistani conflict, the Arab-Israeli wars, the civil wars in Angola and Sri Lanka and the Chechen wars, to name but a few. On the other hand, the type has been actively used for peacekeeping and humanitarian missions by the UN. The Mi-8 has seen service in virtually every country of the world and is still in production. The fact that new versions keep appearing testifies that the Mi-8s full potential has not yet been used up!
Yefim Gordon is one of Russia’s leading aviation writers and publishers. He is the author of many books on Soviet aviation and currently lives in Moscow.
