Mil Mi-60 MAI

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Mi-60 MAI
Role Light utility helicopter
National origin Russia
Manufacturer Mil
Designer Marat Nikolayevich Tishchenko[1][2]
Status Unrealised project

The Mil Mi-60 MAI (Cyrillic: Миль Ми-60 МАИ) was a joint project between Mil and the Moscow Aviation Institute to develop a light utility helicopter.[3] A mockup was displayed at the MAKS 2001 air show,[2][3][4] where Russian aerospace journal Aviatsiya i Kosmonavtika (Авиация и космонавтика; "Aviation and Space") described it as a "little brother" to the Mil Mi-34.[5]

The Mi-60 MAI was intended to fulfil a range of general aviation activities, including pilot training, agricultural work, police and firefighting duties, resource monitoring, aerial photography, and tourism.[2] Domestic demand in Russia for such an aircraft was estimated at around 400–600 units.[2] No Russian manufacturer was producing a lightweight helicopter such as this, and foreign aircraft were unsuitable for Russian conditions.[6]

The design was further presented at the 1997 International Aviation Forum in Moscow, and the World Salon of Inventions in Brussels the same year.[7] It won a gold medal at the latter event.[7]

Design

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The Mi-60 MAI was a conventional design for a light helicopter, with a pod-and-boom fuselage, a three-bladed main rotor, two-bladed tail rotor, and a skid undercarriage with rear wheels on each skid.[3][4][2] The pilot and a single passenger were to sit side-by-side in an extensively-glazed, enclosed cabin with dual controls.[1]

At different stages of development, a variety of powerplants were proposed, including:

These were to be located inside the fuselage, behind the cabin, with power transmitted to the rotor through V-belts.[1] In the twin-engine versions, the engines were to be located side-by-side.[1][4] One criterion for engine selection was favouring engines that could run on automotive-grade petrol.[2][6] This would allow the aircraft to operate in regions with less well-developed infrastructure.[8] The twin-engine variants were expected to be able to continue to fly on only one engine.[7]

Construction was to make extensive use of composite materials.[6]

Development

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Initial funding for the project came from the Russian Ministry of Education.[3] Development started in 1993 and technical work was finished the following year.[3] In 1997, the Russian Army became a sponsor, hoping to use the Mi-60 MAI as a helicopter trainer.[3]

Construction of a mockup commenced at the Kazan helicopter factory in 2000.[3] It was displayed the following year at the MAKS air show, and production was planned to start the same year.[3] Production would have taken place at the Rostvertol factory in Rostov-on-Don[4] As of 1998, an estimated $30 million was still required to put the aircraft into production.[7]

Development work on the program ended in 2001,[2] although it was still included in the Russian federal aviation plan for 2002–10.[3] As of 2013, no examples had been constructed.[4]

Specifications (as designed, with VAZ engine)

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Data from Jackson 2007, p.497, except as noted.

General characteristics

  • Crew: one pilot
  • Capacity: 1 passenger
  • Length: 7.370 m (24 ft 2 in) (fuselage, including tail rotor)[8]
  • Height: 2.286 m (7 ft 6 in) [8]
  • Max takeoff weight: 1,300 kg (2,866 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × VAZ-426 piston engine, 177 kW (237 hp)
  • Main rotor diameter: 10.00 m (32 ft 10 in)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 225 km/h (140 mph, 121 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 185 km/h (115 mph, 100 kn)
  • Range: 400 km (250 mi, 220 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 5,500 m (18,000 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 142 m/s (28,000 ft/min)

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Mikheev 1998, p.268
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Mikheev 2007, p.318
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Jackson 2007, p.497
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Gordon & Komissarov 2013, p.606
  5. ^ Nikolskiy 2001, p.9
  6. ^ a b c MAI+Mil new ultralight, p.16
  7. ^ a b c d MAI+Mil new ultralight, p.19
  8. ^ a b c MAI+Mil new ultralight, p.17

Bibliography

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  • "МАИ+Миль новый сверхлегкий" [MAI+Mil new ultralight]. Вертолёт. No. 2. Kazan: Omega Research Centre. 1998. pp. 16–19.
  • Mikheev, Vadim Rostislavovich (1998). МВЗ им. М. Л. Миля 50 лет [The Moscow Helicopter Plant named for M. L. Mil turns 50]. Moscow: Lyubimaya.
  • Mikheev, Vadim Rostislavovich (2007). МВЗ имени М. Л. Миля [The Moscow Helicopter Plant named for M. L. Mil]. Moscow: Polygon.
  • Nikolskiy, Mikhail (2001). "Первый российский авиасалон XXI бека" [The First Russian Air Show of the 21st Century]. Авиация и космонавтика. No. 9. Moscow: Techinform. pp. 1–10.
  • Gordon, Yefim; Komissarov, Sergey (2013). Unflown Wings: Soviet and Russian Unrealised Aircraft Projects 1925-2010. Manchester: Créey Publishing.
  • Jackson, Paul, ed. (2007). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2007-08 (98th ed.). London: Jane's Publishing Group.
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