1. Operator’s Handbook
S
oviet military commanders took note when
United States and United Nations forces
deployed large numbers of helicopters
during the Korean War. It was clearly
apparent that the helicopter was a versatile
aircraft, performing a variety of wartime tasks, from
transport to medical evacuation and ground support.
The Soviets showed particular interest in the Sikorsky
H-19 Chickasaw, which entered service with the US
Army in the early 1950s as its first true transport and
airlift helicopter.
The Soviets recognised the future role that the
helicopter would play in providing battlefield mobility
and theatre-based logistical support. The response
to the Chickasaw was the Mil Mi-4, which was later
identified in NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
parlance as ‘Hound’. The Mi-4 bears a striking
resemblance to its American-designed counterpart;
however, it was conceived as a more robust aircraft,
significantly larger and with greater transport capacity.
Although the Mi-4 was derided as a copy of the
Chickasaw, there is a basic rationale behind the Soviet
airframe’s obvious similarity. Soviet Premier Joseph
Stalin became aware of the Red Army’s lack of tactical
air transport capability sometime in 1951. Immediately,
he ordered Soviet aircraft manufacturers to develop
a helicopter that would bring transport parity with the
armed forces of the West. He allowed just a 12-month
window for the country’s design bureaus to produce a
satisfactory prototype.
Only the Mil Design Bureau, an experimental venture
initiated in Moscow in 1947 by engineer Mikhail Mil,
an exceptionally talented developer of rotary aircraft,
delivered within the allotted timeframe. Obviously, Mil
recognised that the basic transport design concept had
been validated by the Americans in Korea. Since there
was no time to start with a clean slate, Mil seized upon
the evaluation of the H-19 in challenging conditions and
proceeded with his task. The Mi-4 flew for the first time
on 3 June 1952.
MILMI-4HELICOPTER
COMMISSIONED:1952ORIGIN:SOVIETUNIONLENGTH:26.8METRES(87.9FT)
RANGE:500KM(311MILES)ENGINE:SHVETSOVASH-82VRADIAL
CREW:2PRIMARYWEAPON:TKB-481M12.7MMMACHINEGUN
SECONDARYWEAPON:4XUB-16-57ROCKETPODSMOUNTING55MMS-5ROCKETS
The Mil Mi-4 helicopter, known to NATO as ‘Hound’, became
a Cold War workhorse of Soviet and Eastern Bloc forces
MIL MI-4
HELICOPTER
WORDSMIKEHASKEW
MIL MI-4 HELICOPTER
“THEMI-4BEARSASTRIKING
RESEMBLANCETOITSAMERICAN-
DESIGNEDCOUNTERPART;HOWEVER,
ITWASCONCEIVEDASAMOREROBUST
AIRCRAFT,SIGNIFICANTLYLARGERAND
WITHGREATERTRANSPORTCAPACITY”
The Mil Mi-4 is distinguishable from
other helicopter types due to its
high-set tail boom
The Mil Mi-4 was
based on the
Sikorsky H-19
Chickasaw, but
provided greater
lift capacity in the
transport role
This M1-4 utility helicopter
sits in a workshop while
undergoing maintenance
and repair
85
84
2. ENGINE
A single Shvetsov ASh-82V radial engine,
adapted from the basic ASh-82 engine for use
in helicopters, was responsible for powering
the Mi-4, delivering 1,675 shaft horsepower
and a top speed of 185 kilometres per hour.
A shaft passed between the two cockpit
seats and connected to an R5 two-stage,
planetary gearbox, which distributed power to
the four-bladed main rotor and tail rotor. The
14-cylinder, double-row, air-cooled ASh-82 was
a re-engineered version of the American-built
Wright Cyclone radial engine and was already a
proven powerplant by the 1950s. In service for
more than a decade, the ASh-82 had already
been installed in several Red Air Force fixed-
wing aircraft.
87
OPERATOR’S HANDBOOK MIL MI-4 HELICOPTER
ARMAMENT
The Mi-4M ground support variant of the Mi-4
and other specialised models mounted a
TKB-481M 12.7mm machine gun in a forward
position on the lower body. The flight engineer
was also tasked with serving as the machine
gunner. The TKB-481M was capable of a rate
of fire up to 1,400 rounds per minute; however,
excessive barrel wear was often problematic,
resulting in the installation of an electrical
trigger mechanism that restricted fire to 800-
1,000 rounds per minute. Some Mi-4s were
also equipped with up to four UB-16-57 rocket
pods, each carrying 32 55mm S-5 rockets and
later the improved S-8.
86
“THE14-CYLINDER,DOUBLE-
ROW,AIR-COOLEDASH-82WAS
ARE-ENGINEEREDVERSIONOF
THEAMERICAN-BUILTWRIGHT
CYCLONERADIALENGINE”
The powerplant and
rotor system of the
Mi-4 delivers 1,675
horsepower and
provides a moderate
cruising speed
The Shvetsov ASh-
82V radial engine
was modified for
use in helicopters
The bubble turret housing
a TKB-481M 12.7mm
machine gun was placed
forward along the lower
fuselage of the Mi-4
ground support variant,
the Mi-4M
UB-16-57 rocket pods
carrying up to 32 55mm
S-5 rockets equipped
early ground support
variants of the Mi-4
The external hard points of
this Mi-4M helicopter were
versatile, capable of carrying
a variety of weaponry
“THETKB-481MWASCAPABLEOFA
RATEOFFIREUPTO1,400ROUNDSPER
MINUTE;HOWEVER,EXCESSIVEBARREL
WEARWASOFTENPROBLEMATIC”
3. Within months of its first flight in 1952, the Mil Mi-4 Hound
utility helicopter entered service with the Soviet armed forces.
Subsequently it was introduced to the armies of the Warsaw
Pact and served with the armed forces of more than 30
countries. By the time production ceased in 1979, more than
4,500 Mi-4 and Z-5 helicopters were completed. The Z-5 was
the Chinese-built version manufactured by the Harbin Aircraft
Industry Group. The service life of the Mi-4 extended well
beyond half a century, and reports indicate that a few may
remain in service with the North Korean Air Force to this day.
The highly adaptable Mi-4 has been configured as a
transport, ground support, anti-submarine, patrol and
medical evacuation helicopter, while its application has
extended into civilian endeavours such as exploration, fire
fighting, and cargo delivery. Much of the Soviet exploration
of the vast interior of Siberia during the latter half of the 20th
century was facilitated by the logistic capability of the Mi-4.
Modified versions of the helicopter also recorded no fewer
than eight speed and altitude records during the 1950s,
and its design team received the Lenin Prize from the Soviet
government in 1958.
In the combat role, the Mi-4 lifted troops and equipment
to Hungary during the civil uprising that shook the Eastern
Bloc in 1956. It took part in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971,
airlifting the Indian Army’s 57th Mountain Division into action
along the Meghna River and transporting a battalion of Indian
troops into a combat zone near the city of Sylhet in the first
Indian operation of its kind. The Mi-4 also participated in the
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s.
The specially modified Mi-4 utilised as personal
transportation for North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh is on
display at the Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi.
SERVICEHISTORY
88
MIL MI-4 HELICOPTER
COCKPIT
The high-set cockpit of the Mil Mi-4 Hound
helicopter could accommodate one or two
pilots or a pilot and flight engineer/gunner
seated side by side. Situated above the
cargo hold, the cockpit glass was typically
glazed to prevent excessive glare, and
visibility was average. A dual set of controls
was provided to allow either occupant
to fly the helicopter, and the available
instrumentation provided for operations
in difficult weather conditions or at night.
The pilot controlled the Mi-4 with a stick
located centrally forward of his seat. Horizon
indicators and standard gauges and dials
were located on the main panel at eye level.
THE MIL MI-4 HOUND UTILITY HELICOPTER DEMONSTRATED MULTI-ROLE CAPABILITY
DURING A LONG SERVICE HISTORY WITH SOVIET AND WARSAW PACT FORCES
OPERATOR’S HANDBOOK
Images:
Getty,
TopFoto
The pictured Mil Mi-4 is on display at the
Helicopter Museum, Weston-super-Mare.
For more information visit:
www.helicoptermuseum.co.uk
Standard instrumentation
is displayed in easy view
of the operators in the
cockpit of the Mi-4
Soviet personnel descend a ladder
from a Mi-4 to a submarine below.
The cargo area of the helicopter
could accommodate 16 combat-
ready soldiers
The pilot’s field
of vision from the
Mi-4 cockpit was
generally adequate
THEHIGH-SETCOCKPITOFTHEMIL
MI-4HOUNDHELICOPTERCOULD
ACCOMMODATEONEORTWOPILOTSOR
APILOTANDFLIGHTENGINEER/GUNNER
“THECARGOAREAPROVIDEDROOMFOR16COMBAT-LOADED
TROOPSORA1,600-KILOGRAMPAYLOAD”
The Mil Mi-4 has seen a wide range of uses during
decades of service, including the exploration of Siberia
DESIGN
The Mil Mi-4 helicopter design closely
resembled that of the American H-19
Chickasaw, although considerably larger. Its
two-level layout featured a flight deck located
above the cargo hold and the engine mounted
forward in the nose section. The cargo area
provided room for 16 combat-loaded troops
or a 1,600-kilogram payload. The cargo hold
was fitted with seats that flipped up and was
accessible via clamshell doors that opened fully
to the rear for the easy loading of vehicles and
other material. Later models were equipped with
a sling apparatus for the transport of heavy or
oversize loads.
