Mi-8 Hip
ICAO MI8The most-produced helicopter in history, flown by more countries than any other. Live Mi-8 and Mi-17 positions.
Flying right now
Live · 30s
No Mi-8 Hip is transmitting ADS-B at the moment.
Military aircraft are not obliged to broadcast, so this happens regularly. The count refreshes every thirty seconds.
Airframe
- Manufacturer
- Mil
- Role
- Medium transport helicopter
- Class
- H2T — Helicopter, 2 turboshaft engines
- Crew
- 3
- First flight
- 24 June 1961
- In service
- 1967
Operators airborne
Nothing of this type is up right now.
About the Mi-8 Hip
More Mi-8s have been built than any other helicopter — well over 17,000 — and the type is flown by more countries than any other rotorcraft, including several NATO members that inherited or bought them. It is still in production.
It is a big, simple, over-engineered machine designed to work from unprepared ground in extreme cold with minimal maintenance, and that has made it the default medium helicopter across Asia, Africa, eastern Europe and Latin America. The Mi-17 is the export designation for later versions.
On this feed it appears mostly as Czech, Polish, Slovak and Hungarian aircraft — NATO members still operating Soviet-era fleets — with occasional Russian and Ukrainian examples.
Callsign prefixes
- CEF
- Czech Air Force
- PLF
- Polish Air Force
- UAF
- Ukrainian Air Force
How to recognise it
- —A large five-blade main rotor and a long tailboom, with the engines mounted above and ahead of the rotor.
- —A distinctive clamshell rear door and often a bulged observation window at the front.
- —Big — considerably larger than a Black Hawk, closer to a Merlin in bulk.
Common questions
+ How many Mi-8s have been built?
Over 17,000, which makes it the most-produced helicopter in history and one of the most-produced aircraft of any kind. Production continues in Russia.
+ What is the difference between the Mi-8 and Mi-17?
Mi-17 is broadly the export designation for later, more powerful versions. There are real differences in engines and tail rotor position between variants, but the family shares one ADS-B designator.
+ Do NATO countries fly the Mi-8?
Several do. The Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Croatia inherited or bought Soviet-era fleets, and some still operate them.