Mi-17V5, widely considered as one of the most versatile and advanced military transport helicopters around the world, is a modern transport helicopter used by the Indian Air Force. The chopper is designed to carry personnel, cargo and equipment inside its cargo cabin or on an external drape. The helicopter is capable of dropping strategic air assault forces and reconnaissance teams. Although, there has been previous crash incidences involving the Mi-series of helicopters, the safety record of the chopper is better than some other cargo choppers in the world.
The Mi-17V-5 is a military transport variant of the Mi-8/17 family of helicopters, and are produced by Kazan Helicopters, a subsidiary of Russian Helicopters in Kazan, Russia. This Soviet-designed helicopter is capable of landing on unprepared sites at night and in limited adverse weather conditions. The helicopter can transport a maximum load of 13,000 kilograms, flying at a maximum speed of 250 kilometres per hour.
This chopper is a trusted aircraft used for all dignitary movements, including the Prime Minister. India had acquired 80 Mi-17 helicopters from Russia a few years back, which are the workhorse of the Indian Air Force’s medium transport fleet. The Mi-17 V5 is top of the line series. The last batch of the chopper was delivered to India in 2018. The Indian Air Force uses the helicopter to not only transport cargo but also deploy troops in operational areas apart from rescue and relief missions across the country. The Sulur airbase operates these helicopters. There have been no major crashes of the chopper apart from a single accident in Jammu and Kashmir in February 2019, the day after India conducted an aerial strike in Pakistan’s Balakot in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack.
The Mi-17V-5 is powered by either a Klimov TV3-117VM or VK-2500 turbo-shaft engine. While the TV3-117VM develops a maximum power of 2,100hp, the VK-2500 provides a power output of 2,700hp. The new-gen helicopters has the VK-2500 engine which is a more advanced version of TV3-117VM with a new full-authority digital control system (FADEC). It has a speed of 250 kmph, and a range of 580km. It can be extended to 1,065 km when fitted with two auxiliary fuel tanks. The helicopter can fly at a maximum altitude of 6,000m.
The Mi-17 transport helicopter gets a large cabin with a standard portside door for passengers and a ramp at rear for quick troop and cargo movement. The helicopter has a maximum takeoff weight of 13,000 kg and can carry upto 36 armed soldiers or 4,500kg of load on a sling. The chopper is equipped with a glass cockpit that gets state-of-the-art avionics, including four multifunction displays (MFDs), night-vision equipment, an on-board weather radar, and an autopilot system. For India, the Mi-17V-5 helicopters also get KNEI-8 avionics suite including navigation, information-displays and cueing systems.
This can be used not just for transport, the Mi-17V-5 can also be armed with a wide range of weapons that are required while dropping troops or cargo amidst a hostile environment. It can be loaded with Shturm-V missiles, S-8 rockets, a 23mm machine gun, PKT machine guns, and AKM sub-machine guns. There’s an aft machine gun position for a gunner and can be fitted with armoured plates.
These are the details of the chopper that was carrying CDS general Rawat his family and other officials. Currently a lot of speculation surrounding the crash is stirring up, however it would unethical to speculate anything without attaining proper proofs on the tragic incident. Top officials have headed towards the incident spot.
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