Cold War & Beyond: Russia’s ‘Hip’ Helicopters

Cold War: Approximately 1947 (due to U.S. President Harry Truman’s Truman Doctrine) to 1991 (Operation Desert Storm, collapse of Soviet Union).

NATO reporting name Hip. The Михаил Мил Ми-8 (Mikhail Mil Mi-8) rotary wing began military service in 1968, with the Soviet Union. First production was done in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. The Mi-17 Hip has more powerful turbines than the Mi-8 Hip, also, the position of the tail rotor is different.

A Soviet Aeroflot silly-vilian Hip, early 1970s.

The Mi-8 is also used by silly-vilian (civilian) transport companies. I have several Western/NATO publications from the 1970s that speculate that the Mi-8 started military service prior to 1967. The earliest photos I’ve found of the Hip are from the early 1970s.

Fresh Hip for Pakistan, early 1970s.

Warsaw Pact Poland’s PWL license built the silly-vilian Hip, early 1970s.

Purportedly a Hungarian Hip, early 1970s.

Soviet military Hips, early 1970s.

Silly-vilian ambulance version, photo published 1980.

Slov-Air airliner Hip, 1980.

1980.

Warsaw Pact Czechoslovakia Hip, 1980.

Fueling a Warsaw Pact Czechoslovak Hip, during a snow storm, 1980.

Egyptian Hips, photo dated 10SEP1983.

Soviet Hip visiting Little Diomede, Alaska, part of Operation Bering Bridge to help Alaskan Eskimos visit their relatives in the Soviet Union. Photo by Master Sergeant Ed Boyce, 23APR1989.

Vietnamese Hip, 08FEB1991. Photo by Master Sergeant Jose Lopez.

Abandoned Iraqi Hip, after Desert Storm, 03MAR1991. Photo by Staff Sergeant Dean W. Wagner.

Post Cold War, Balkan Wars, War on Terror, Battle for Ukraine, 1992 to present:

Last days of a former East German Mi-8S VIP transport. Photo credit C.J. van Gent, published 1993.

Kazak Hip during the international Central Asian ‘Peacekeeping’ Battalion 2000 so-called humanitarian wargame in Kazakhstan. U.S. Air Force photo by Technical Sergeant Jim Varhegyi, 10SEP2000.

The remains of an Afghan Hip, 18JAN2002. Photo by Captain Charles G. Grow.

In 2005, a new Hip was created with improved turbines, larger cargo door, it was called the Mi-8AMT, but the export version is known as the Mi-171.

United Nations’ Hip during Operation Jingle Air in Afghanistan, 07JUN2008. U.S. Army photo by Sergeant Charles Brice.

Iraqi Hip, 17OCT2009. U.S. Army photo by Sergeant Travis Zielinski.

U.S. Air Force video (by Technical Sergeant Scott Wilcox), Afghans prep their new U.S. taxpayer funded Hip for take-off, 10NOV2009:

Vehicle I-D, 2009-2018:

AFGHAN Mil Mi 8/17

Russian Hips in Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, moments before taking off to support the landing of another Soyuz spacecraft, 08MAR2010. Photo credit Bill Ingalls.

Lithuanian Mi-8 lands onboard USS Mount Whitney during a NATO wargame, 17SEP2010. U.S. Navy photo.

Vehicle I-D, 2010-2017:

MARINA ARMADA DE MÉXICO MIL 17

Croat Mi-171 Hip, 29MAY2012, U.S. Army video by Staff Sergeant Jose Ibarra:

Czech Republic (Czechia) Hips on the Baumholder Training Support Center, Germany, for a NATO wargame, 12SEP2014. U.S. Army photo by Ruediger Hess.

Laotian Hip, 13DEC2017. U.S. Army photo via Clayton Harrison.

Мил Ми-8MTV5 (Mil Mi-8MTV5, export version Mi-17V5) during Russia’s Vostock wargame in the Eastern Military District, 11-17SEP2018:

U.S. Army photo by Sergeant James Lefty Larimer. A ‘hip’ Egyptian helicopter (Mil 17V-5) conducting med-evac (medical evacuation) training during Bright Star 2018.

(See more Egyptian helicopters.)

Sling Load 2019: CH-47 CHINOOK COLLECTS MIL 8 ‘HIP’ BONES