Mil |
Mi-14 "Haze" |
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Photo: Robert
Deering 4/9/2019 Technik Museum Speyer, Germany |
The Mil Mi-14 is a Soviet shore-based
nuclear-capable amphibious anti-submarine helicopter derived
from the earlier Mi-8. Formal development of an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) version of the Mil Mi-8 transport helicopter was authorized by the Soviet Communist Party Central Committee and Council of Ministers in April 1965, with the objective of replacing the Mil Mi-4 in the short-range, shore based anti-submarine role. The new helicopter was required to have an endurance of 2 hours on station at a radius of 222 kilometers (120 nm; 138 mi) from base. The new design (with
the internal designation V-14) differed from
the Mi-8 in having a boat-like hull similar
to the Sea King, allowing it to operate off
the water, and a retractable four-point
undercarriage, with the mainwheels
retracting into large sponsons on the rear
of the fuselage. The helicopter was to be
powered by two Klimov TV3-117MT turboshaft engines. A
watertight weapons bay is fitted to the
centerline of the fuselage allowing internal
carriage of a single torpedo or eight depth
charges, while a radome housing a search
radar is fitted beneath the nose. The first prototype V-14, converted from a Mi-8 and powered by the older and less powerful Klimov TV2-117 engines, flew on 1 August 1967. Development was slowed by problems with the helicopter's avionics and due to reliability problems with the TV3-117 engines, with production at Kazan not starting until 1973, and the helicopter (now designated Mi-14) entering service on 11 May 1976. Allegedly due to the
strong pressure from the United States, all
Russian antisubmarine Mi-14 helicopters were
decommissioned in 1996. In May 2015, RT has
reported that Mi-14 is being highly sought
after by the Russian Black Sea and the
Northern Fleets, and that Kazan Helicopter
Works (KVZ) is preparing to return 10
previously decommissioned helicopters to
active Russian Navy service with the
production of new units beginning within
five years. The initial demand was estimated
at 100 helicopters. In January 2016,
Russian Helicopters confirmed to Russian
News Agency TASS that no final decision to
revive production had been taken, but market
demand, feasibility studies – including with
Moscow’s defense ministry – and funding
sources were under review. The program
remains a “priority” for Russian
Helicopters. The company suggested the Mi-14
would appeal to civil operators in Russia’s
far north and those supplying the oil and
gas industry, alongside the nation’s armed
forces. Out of the almost 300 Mi-14s
produced at Kazan Helicopters between 1973
and 1986, it is estimated that just 44
examples remain in active service.
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