Rotorcraft · ICAO MI4

Mil Mi-4

Developed as a response to the US H-19 Chickasaw during the Korean War, the Mi-4 copied its forward-mounted engine layout while being built larger and in far greater numbers. Entering service in 1953, it became the backbone of Soviet military and civil aviation for decades, from Aeroflot transports to the anti-submarine Mi-4M. It is best remembered for the 1971 Meghna Heli Bridge, when Indian Army Mi-4s ferried an entire division across the river during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Gradually replaced by the Mi-8, the type was retired by all air forces by 2005.

Mil Mi-4, example photo from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Museum Pusat TNI AU Dirgantara Mandala Yogyakarta · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Did you know?

Soviet transport helicopter built around a nose-mounted engine copied from the US H-19, flying from 1953 until 2005.

Specifications

Length17.7 m (58 ft)
Height4.4 m (14 ft)
Rotor diameter21.3 m (70 ft)
Maximum passengers16
Persons on board16
Crew3
Maximum take-off weight7.8 t
Range310 NM (574 km)
Maximum speed115 kt (213 km/h)
Service ceiling15,000 ft (4,572 m)
Optimum ceiling8,000 ft (2,438 m)
Rate of climb1,102 ft/min (5.6 m/s)
Fuel capacity1,000 l
Engines1x Shvetsov ASh-82V
Units built558

Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.

In CatchFlights

In CatchFlights the Mil Mi-4 starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.

A catch counts for the manufacturer Mil, the Mi-4 family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.

Catch it yourself.CatchFlights shows the aircraft flying near you on a radar, so a type like this one is only a catch away when it passes overhead. Explore CatchFlights.

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