Mil Mi-2US: The Polish Utility Gunship

Would you like the Mi-2US to be added to the game?
  • Yes
  • No
0 voters
How should it be added?
  • Tech Tree
  • Premium
  • Event
  • Battlepass
  • Squadron
  • I said no
0 voters
Who should receive it?
  • USSR
  • Future Polish Tech Tree/Sub-Tree
  • Other (comment)
  • I said no
0 voters
What BR should it have?
  • 8.0
  • 8.3
  • 8.7
  • 9.0
  • Other (comment)
  • I said no
0 voters

Mil Mi-2US: The Polish Utility Gunship

NOTE: I am aware that the Mi-2 has various designations when equipped with different secondary weapons. However, I have confirmed with @leroyonly that it is acceptable to suggest the Mi-2 as a unit containing all secondary weapons like all the other helicopters, as they are all the same craft.

History:

In 1950, the Mil Mi-1 became the first ever helicopter developed by the USSR. A simple and utilitarian vehicle, it used a piston engine to drive the mechanicals. Thanks to said simplicity and ruggedness, it was produced in massive numbers of more than 2500. Despite its success, it was recognized that a replacement would be needed which was more technologically advanced. Thus, in 1960 it was instructed for Mil to develop a turbine-powered replacement. In order to simplify logistics, the gearbox, transmission, and rotor design were retained from the Mi-1, though the material for the tail rotor was soon changed to metal from wood. The prototype, then called the V-2, was developed and took flight for the first time in 1961 at the hands of G.V. Alferov on September 22nd. The flight was a success and the Mi-2 was quickly put into production at the WSK PZL-Swidnik factory in Poland, the only location to manufacture this helicopter. This was due to all the other Russian helicopter plants being occupied with heavier helicopters such as the Mi-8 family. Initially intended as a purely civilian helicopter, the Mi-2 soon found its way into the military sector, with approximately one third of all examples produced being used for military purposes. Once recognized by NATO, it was given the reporting name "hoplite". Over 5400 examples were produced with a wide array of variants, several of which were specific to Poland after the fall of the USSR. It was also exported to over 30 countries, with many still using it to this day. It remains one of the most popular agricultural helicopters in the world, and over the 30-year span of its production saw a number of upgrades to keep it competitive in the market. These included fiberglass rotor blades, uprated versions of the GTD-350 turbines, and more.

In terms of military use, Poland developed the majority of the armed versions for their own use, though some were exported to East Germany. For many years it was the only twin-turbine light helicopter in the world, and it remains one of the smallest in its class. But don’t let its size fool you! It packs a punch!

Description:

The Mi-2 outwardly is a very simple and utilitarian helicopter. With a pair of GTD-350 turbine engines, it can move at a top speed of around 120 mph, or 200 km/h. It uses a standard tri-blade rotor design, with a dual-blade tail rotor. The tricycle landing gear is fixed, which does reduce aerodynamics a bit, but it is overall negligible. The armed versions produced for the Polish military received new designations and armaments, **all sharing the same NS-23 main gun** but carrying different secondaries. These include:
  • Mi-2US: The basic gunship upon which all the rest are based. Main gun is a 23mm NS-23 in a forward fixed mount, with four 7.62mm PKT being used as secondary weapons on outboard pylons, two per side. A pair of 7.62mm PK or RPK-47 machine guns mounted in the doors for manually guided operation are optional.
  • Mi-2URS: Only one source made reference to this variant, but I will include it here anyway. This is a US with four Strela-2M missiles for air-to-air combat. The number of PKT machine guns is reduced from 4 to 2.
  • Mi-2URN: Instead of the PKT machine guns, this variant carries a pair of 16-shot 57mm rocket pods. These fire the S-5 family of rockets, and as such can carry a wide variety of warheads. Door-mounted PK/RPK machine guns are again optional.
  • Mi-2URP: Carries 4 rails for 9M14-M Malyutka-M (AT-3 Sagger) ATGMs, with 4 more stored internally for a total of 8. Optional door-mounted machine guns.
  • Mi-2URP-G: Same as above but with four Strela-2M MANPADS in two twin launchers.

As you can see, there are many options for this helicopter, and they will all be interesting (though I don’t think the four PKTs will get much use)!

Unfortunately this helicopter does not carry any armor, so getting in close will be dangerous. The optional door guns are likely to be left off, but theoretically you could have them as AI gunners, which would mean this is the first helicopter to have them (though others, such as the Huey, could for sure).

Specifications:

Spoiler

Main Armament: 23mm NS-23 in fixed mount on right side

Secondary Armament Options:

  • 4x 7.62mm PKT Machine Guns
  • 2x 7.62mm PKT Machine Guns / 4x Strela-2M MANPADS
  • 2x 57mm 16-tube UB-16-57 Rocket Pods (S-5 Series)
  • 4x 9M14M Malyutka-M ATGMs + 4 stored inside (8 total, can reload in midair)
  • 4+4x 9M14M Malyutka-M ATGMs / 4x Strela-2M MANPADS

Engines: 2x PZL GTD-350 Turbines, 400 shaft horsepower each

Top Speed: 200 km/h (120 mph)

Max Altitude: 4000 m (14000 ft)

Rate of Climb: 4.5 m/s (890 ft/min)

Armor: None

Ammo Count: Unknown for main gun and machine guns, 32 rockets, 8 missiles, 4 MANPADS

Crew: 2 (Pilot, Optional Co-Pilot)

Gallery:

Spoiler








If there is anything I have missed or gotten incorrect, please let me know! I hope you enjoyed reading this, and I hope you will also check out my other suggestions! Thanks, and have a great day.


Sources:

Spoiler

Mil Mi-2 - Wikipedia

Вертолеты - Ми-2

Mil Mi-2 - Specifications - Technical Data / Description

Mil Mi-2 (Hoplite) Light Utility / Training Helicopter

Mil Mi-2 helicopter - development history, photos, technical data

7 Likes

Yes for the helis
No for one variant only
I am also aware of the different variants are basically one.

I made some research some time ago for my Visegrád Group tech tree and I decided to add two variants, the URP (8.3) and the URP-G (9.0).

URP and URP-G can both carry the armament of the URN - possibly it being its stock armament. Other armaments of older variants are also might be possible, but usually not proved with sources…
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/653585280984416256/1143624520343748759/image0.png
A URP is still a URP, even if it carries URN armament on one or both sides.
Assymetrical loadouts are also possible, as you can see.

.

So the possible way to implement these variants ingame is the following in my opinion:

Mi-2URP (BR 8.3)
Armament:

  • stock PK MGs (from variant US)
  • stock 80 mm rockets (from variant URN)
  • researchable hardpoints for Maljutkas (9M14M) with a unique 4 missile internal rack which can reload missiles anywhere on the map if the heli is landed (URP variant)
  • possible researchable 9M14P Maljutkas (SACLOS)

Mi-2URP-G (BR 9.0)
Armament:

  • stock PK MGs (from variant US)
  • stock 80 mm rockets (from variant URN)
  • researchable hardpoints for Maljutkas (9M14M) with a unique 4 missile internal rack which can reload missiles anywhere on the map if the heli is landed (URP variant’s armament)
  • researchable GAD pods for Strela-2M AAMs. Possible to carry without ATGMs (for example if its not researched yet), then the model should be identical to Mi-2URS, including the machine gun. Internal rack possibility for 8 AAMs, identical reloading process to Maljutkas. If this pod is used with Maljutkas, then the model is identical to URP-G. No Maljutka and AAM internal rack can be used together.
  • possible researchable 9M14P Maljutkas (SACLOS)
  • possible researchable GAD-G pods for Grom missiles.
4 Likes

+1, I’m for it, I voted USSR for now as it would serve as a replacement for the Mi-4. But also for a Polish Tech Tree.

1 Like

Thank you so much for this info! This helps a lot, and I might restructure the suggestion to reflect this.

I would love to see this helicopter in-game as a tech tree variant, or maybe as a Squadron vehicle (or perhaps both).

From my research, since East Germany had some of it’s armed versions in use and was built in Poland, I would see this helicopter better suited for the German tech tree and I won’t mind if it’s in Polish colors and crew voices, like we have already the Leopard 2PL.
If Polish people don’t mind, I would like to see their vehicles represented as a subtech-tree for Germany like Hungary for Italy and South Africa for Britain does.

For USSR tech tree I would rather go for the Mi-1MU, which was explicitly a Russian build and design and would be a unique light helicopter for their roster.

2 Likes

I didn’t realize that East Germany used the armed versions. That would be a great place to have it as a squadron vehicle.

1 Like

As far as I’ve been able to find, the only armed configuration East Germany used was the Mi-2URN with the rocket pods. So no ATGMs, just a probably 7.7 BR heli.

Spoiler




1 Like

The 23mm cannon would help somewhat. Might wind up suggesting that at some point. Thanks for the info!

Probably 8.7-9.0. +1 for Polish or Viségrad Tree.

1 Like

Most probably as German sub-tree, and I say 9.0 because of the strella manpad (like the z9w, bad atgm, but with good aa missiles, at 10.0)

1 Like

russia already have got many helis but its fun to have this one too