How will the Mi-17 helicopters transferred by the US help the Ukrainian army?

The Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter is part of a $800 million military support package for Ukraine, just announced by US President Joe Biden.

The additional military aid package worth $800 million brings the total value of Washington’s military aid to Kiev to more than $2.5 billion. The information came after a phone call between the US President and his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.

The support package includes 11 Mi-17 multi-purpose helicopters, which were prepared to be delivered to Afghanistan before the Taliban took power. Previously, the US delivered 5 Mi-17 helicopters to Ukraine at the end of January 2022.

This squadron of Mi-17 Helicopters was purchased by the US from Russia to mainly support special operations of the Afghan National Army Command.

The Mi-17 helicopter is a new variant of the legendary Mi-8 helicopter, they are equipped with a new engine with greater capacity and a reinforced airframe to meet the increased cargo load requirements.

In addition to the transport capacity, the Mi-17 can also carry rockets, machine guns and even anti-tank missiles to support ground fire, thereby turning them into heavy armed helicopters.

Mi-17 helicopter has a crew of 3; length 18,465 m; rotor diameter 21.25 m; height 4.76 m; empty weight 7,489 kg, maximum take-off weight 13,000 kg. The aircraft is equipped with 2 Klimov TV3 engines, with a range of 800 km, a ceiling of 6,000 m, and a maximum speed of up to 280 km / h. The cargo compartment of the Mi-17 helicopter can accommodate 30 fully armed soldiers. When necessary, they can carry 1,500 kg of weapons under 6 mounts including bombs, rockets, external machine guns and anti-tank missiles.

The US’s transfer of Mi-17 helicopters to Ukraine will help the country have more weapons to fight against Russia in the context of the war continues to be extremely complicated.

Let’s observe the features of Mi-17 Helicopter with Dan Viet: