Mil V-12 - WikiHQ

The Mil V-12 (NATO reporting name: Homer), given the project number Izdeliye 65 ("Item 65"), is a prototype helicopter designed in the Soviet Union and the largest helicopter ever built. The designation "Mi-12" would have been the designation for the production helicopter and did not apply to V-12 prototypes.

Design and development

thumb|left|Mil V-12 at the [[Central Air Force Museum]]

Design studies for a giant helicopter were started at the Mil OKB in 1959, receiving official sanction in 1961 by the GKAT (Gosudarstvenny Komitet po Aviatsionnoy Tekhnike - State Committee on Aircraft Technology) instructing Mil to develop a helicopter capable of lifting . The GKAT directive was followed by a more detailed specification for the V-12 with hold dimensions similar to the Antonov An-22, intended to lift major items of combat material as well as 8K67, 8K75 and 8K82 inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBM). On 6 August 1969, the V-12 lifted to a height of , also a world record.

thumb|right|Mil V-12 at [[Groningen Airport in 1971]]

The second prototype was also assembled at the Mil experimental production facility in Panki but sat in the workshop for a full year awaiting engines, flying for the first time in March 1973 from Panki to the flight test facilities in Lyubertsy. Curiously the second prototype was also registered SSSR-21142. The second prototype was donated to Central Air Force Museum east of Moscow for public display.

World records

Records are certified by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.

The V-12 first prototype has held eight world records, three of which are still current, in the FAI E1 General class for rotorcraft powered by turbine engines. The aircraft was crewed by:

;22 February 1969

:Pilot - Vasily Kolochenko

:Crew - L.V. Vlassov, V.V. Journaliov, V.P. Bartchenko, S.G. Ribalko, A.I. Krutchkov

;6 August 1969

:Pilot - Vasily Kolochenko

:Crew - L.V. Vlassov, V.V. Juravlev, V.P. Bartchenkov, S.G. Ribalko, A.I. Krutchkov

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;width: 100%;text-align:center"

! Date !! Record description !! Achievement !! Current

| 22 February 1969 || Altitude with payload || || No

| 22 February 1969 || Altitude with payload || || Yes

| 22 February 1969 || Maximum load to || || No

| 6 August 1969 || Altitude with payload || || Yes

| 6 August 1969 || Maximum load to || || No

Variants

;V-12: OKB designation of the two prototypes of the proposed Mi-12 production version.

|prime units?=met

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General characteristics

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|genhide=

|crew=6 (pilot, copilot, flight engineer, electrician, navigator, radio operator)

|capacity=196 passengers<br/>

::::normal

::::maximum

|length m=37

|span m=67

|span note=across rotors

|height m=12.5

|empty weight kg=69100

|gross weight kg=97000

|max takeoff weight kg=105000

|fuel capacity=

|more general=

Freight compartment:

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Powerplant

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|eng1 number=4

|eng1 name=Soloviev D-25VF

|eng1 type=turboshaft engines

|eng1 shp=6500

|eng1 note= 26,000 HP total

|rot number=2

|rot dia m=35

|rot dia ft=

|rot dia in=

|rot area sqm=962

|rot area sqft=

|rot area note=two 5-bladed rotors located transversely, area is per rotor ( total area)

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Performance

-->

|max speed kmh=260

|cruise speed kmh=240

|range km=500

|ferry range km=1000

|ferry range note=with external fuel tanks

|ceiling m=3500

|disk loading kg/m2=50.5

|disk loading lb/sqft=

|disk loading note=at gross weight

|more performance=

Hovering ceiling in ground effect:
Hovering ceiling out of ground effect:

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Armament

-->

|avionics=

AP-44 autopilot
VUAP-2 experimental autopilot
ROZ-1 Lotsiya weather and navigational radar

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Mil V-12 data and photos at aviation.ru
about Mil V-12 CCCP-21142 at Avia-dejavu.net
Mil Mi-12 'Homer' on Airliners.net
Mil-12 video in English

Design and development

World records

Variants

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links