Chopper onboard CDS crashes: All you need to know about Mi-17V-5 military helicopter

New Delhi, Dec 08: An Mi-17V-5 military chopper carrying Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 12 others crashed in Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu today.

The Mi-17V-5 chopper is one of the most versatile and advanced choppers in the world. The Mi-17V-5 military is the military variant of the Mi-8/17 family of choppers. It is famous for being reliable, versatile and is considered to be value for money.

The choppers are made by Kazan Helicopters, a subsidiary of Russian Helicopters in Kazan, Russia. The chopper can be used for military operations such as troop and arms transport, fire support, patrol, search and rescue and convoy escort.

In December 2008 the Ministry of Defence placed an order for 80 Mi-17V-5 military choppers. The deliveries began in 2011 and the final unit was handed over in 2008.

The power plant of the Mi-17V-5 military either integrates a Klimov TV3-117VM or VK-2500 turbo-shaft engine. VK-2500 is an upgraded version of the TV3-117VM and is equipped with a full authority digital control system. It has a maximum speed of 250 kilometres per hour and a standard range of 580 km which can be extended when fitted with two auxiliary fuel tanks. It can fly at a maximum altitude of 6,000m.

The glass cockpit of the Mi-17V-5 is equipped with four multifunctional displays, nigh vision equipment, on board weather radar and an autopilot system. The ones custom made for India, integrate KNEW-8 avionics suite include information displayed, cueing systems and information displays.

The chopper can also be armed with weapons that are required while dropping troops or cargo in a hostile environment. Shturm-V missiles, S-8 rockets, a 23mm machine gun, PKT machine guns, and AKM sub-machine guns can be loaded into the chopper. Further it has an aft machine gun position for a gunner which can be fitted with armoured plates.