Mi-8

The Mil Mi-8 (NATO Reporting Name: Hip) is a medium sized transport and utility helicopter that can also act as a gunship designed by the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant of Russia. It's vast design variants are currently used by over 80 nations across the globe and is the second most produced helicopter in the world.

Design
The Mi-8 is driven by two 1,105 kW (1,482 shp) Klimov TV2-117 turboshafts that rotate a single five-blade main rotor with a three-blade tail rotor. It is capable of flying on one engine should the other give out, depending on the load carried. It has a crew of three (a pilot, co-pilot and engineer) and can carry up to twenty four armed passengers or 3,000 kg (6,000 lb) of cargo on internal/external hard points. It has a maximum speed of 250 km/h (156mph) and a maximum range of 450 km (156 mi) with a total service ceiling of 4,500 m (14,1760 ft). It can carry an optional armament of 1,500 kg (3, 300 lb) of disposable stores on six hardpoints including bombs, S-5 rockets or 9M17 Phalanga ATGM's.

There are several design variants of the Mi-8. The Mi-17 export version is in service in over 20 countries (equatable to the Russian Mi-8M). The Russian Navy uses the Mi-14, designed exclusively for naval operations, and the Mi-24 "Hind" is derived from this aircraft. There are also a number of speciality versions of the aircraft, ranging from airborne ambulance to artillery spotter versions and airborne jamming platforms.

History
The Mi-8 was first flown as a single-engine prototype on 9 July 1961, with a two-engined prototype on 17 September 1962. After a few design alterations, it was introduced into the Soviet Air Force as the Mi-8. It has seen combat action in a number of conflicts, including the Soviet War in Afghanistan, Gulf Wars I and II and both conflicts in Chechnya. The Mi-8 and it's derivatives have been exported and produced by a number of nations. Notable examples include Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Iraq, Vietnam, Pakistan and Venezuela.

In Game
To date, the only game that features the Mi-8 is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, where it is used by both opposition forces. It makes it's first appearance in The Coup and is seen throughout the game. It operates as a troop transport for the majority of the game, transporting enemy soldiers who fast-rope from the helicopters. One notable example of the Mi-8's role in the game is during the level Hunted. After being shot down in Western Russia, Captain Price, Soap MacTavish, Gaz and Nikolai are pursued by Ultranationalist forces. Among the most significant is an Mi-8 that relentlessly pursues them, becoming a deadly obstacle to the completion of the mission. It first drops in troops, before firing on the crash survivors with a door gunner. The door gunner can be shot out of the helicopter, but it is always replaced by another gunner. It is only after the group gets to a barn storing FIM-92 Stinger missiles can they shoot the helicopter down, deploying counter-measures before crashing.