Mil Mi-1 "Hare"

Mil · Soviet Union · first flew 1948 · helicopter

The Mil Mi-1 was the Soviet Union's first mass-produced helicopter, establishing the Mil design bureau as the dominant force in Soviet rotorcraft development.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsHigh-mounted, rotary
E — Engines1 × piston, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage12.09 m fuselage
T — TailConventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

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Small, round-bodied helicopter with a large glazed nose, a single three-blade main rotor, a slim tail boom carrying a two-blade tail rotor, and a fixed tricycle undercarriage.

Specifications

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Designed under Mikhail Mil and first flown in 1948, the Mi-1 entered production in 1950 and served widely as a utility, liaison, and training helicopter across the Soviet bloc.

Variants

Variants included the Mi-1T trainer, Mi-1NKh agricultural and utility version, and the Mi-1M with an uprated engine; Poland produced the type under licence as the SM-1.

Where you'll see it

Served with the Soviet Air Forces and numerous allied nations from the early 1950s into the 1970s; licence production in Poland resulted in over 1,600 SM-1s for Warsaw Pact operators.

Related aircraft

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