IAF’s Mi-17V5: Know about made in Russia IAF helicopter that crashed carrying CDS General Bipin Rawat

IAF helicopter Mi-17V5 crashed in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu due to which CDS General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and 11 others died on Wednesday (8 December 2021). The Mi-17V5 helicopter is the world's most advanced transport helicopter.

The helicopter had taken off from the army base in Sulur and was on its way to Wellington military base. America also expressed grief over the death of CDS General Bipin Rawat and remembered his important role in the defence relations between the two countries.

The Indian Air Force helicopter that crashed on Wednesday belonged to the 109 helicopter unit located outside the Sulur airbase in Tamil Nadu.

As per the sources, in the last 2-3 sorties of this helicopter, no system malfunction or snag was reported. Further added, "its history was clear, and there had been no technical failure”.

According to a retired IAF officer, "the Mi-17V5 is considered one of the safest and most modern military transport helicopters." He also said that "One must wait for the detailed investigation, but the past record of the helicopter model shows it is impeccable and 100% reliable.”

Let's know about the Mi-17V5 helicopter

- The Mi-17 V5 is manufactured by Kazan Helicopters, a subsidiary of Russian Helicopters.

- It was a Mi-17 V5 variant, which is one of the latest versions of this Russian-made military transport helicopter available worldwide.

- As per sources, it is one of the most advanced transport helicopters in the world. Can be deployed in troop and weapons transport, fire support, convoy escort, and search-and-rescue (SAR) missions. 

- It belongs to the Mi-8/17 family of military helicopters.

What is included in the Mi-17V5 helicopter?

- There are several variants of this particular helicopter including a 36-seat one for carrying troops, another for cargo transport, and one equipped with an emergency flotation system.

- A three-member flight crew consisting of the pilot, co-pilot, and flight engineer flies the helicopter with a loadmaster.

- As mentioned above, the Mi-17 V5 is one of the most modern modifications of the Russian-origin Mi-8/17 helicopter series.

-  It also includes a digital flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder to monitor flight parameters and cockpit conversations respectively.

- It is a twin-engined, single-rotor-scheme helicopter having a tail rotor that has an advanced performance design with a dolphin-type nose, an additional starboard sliding door, and a portside widened sliding door.

- This helicopter is equipped with starboard sliding doors, parachute equipment, searchlights, and an emergency flotation system.

- There is an armament system that can be put on the helicopter that has unguided rockets, 23 mm cannons, and 250 rounds each.

- On the glass cockpit of the helicopter has a navigation and electronic display system which shows the present position of the helicopter, an electronic terrain map, and flight route, in-flight route programming, flight information storage, on-board data processing, etc. Or we can say that the helicopter has a glass cockpit, equipped with a multi-function display, night vision equipment, onboard weather radar, and an autopilot system.

- The helicopter has the capability to land unprepared sites at night and in adverse weather conditions. The manufacturer, Kazan Helicopters, claims that the helicopter has the capability of landing on a single-engine configuration even in case of an emergency.

- The Mi-17 V5 has a maximum speed of 250 kmph and a cruise speed of 230 kmph.

- It has a service ceiling of 6,000 meters and has a flight range of 675 km with its main fuel tanks.

- With two auxiliary fuel tanks, it can fly up to 1,180 km.

- It can carry a maximum payload of 4,000 kg and the maximum take-off weight of the helicopter is 13,000 kg.

- We can say that it is a "forgiving" aircraft that is very sturdy and robust. It can also fly in extreme circumstances. 

Some other important facts

- In 2008, the Indian government had awarded a contract to the Russian manufacturers for 80 Mi-17V5 helicopters at a cost of $1.3 billion. In 2013, the first of these were delivered to India and in 2018, the final batch arrived.

- Repair and overhaul facility of Mi-17 V5 helicopters has been set up by IAF at 3 Base Repair Depot in Chandigarh. In 2019, this facility was inaugurated in Chandigarh.

- The last accident happened less than a month ago on 18 November, when a Mi-17 V5 crashed in eastern Arunachal Pradesh because of a technical snag. However, all on board the plane were safe.

- Apart from India, it is used by the air forces of about 50 countries, including Russia and Iraq, and is also part of the erstwhile Afghan Air Force.