Mi-4
Experiences from the beginning of the Korean War, when helicopters were massively used for the first time, and especially the American S-55 helicopter, drew the attention of military experts to the combat potential of helicopters. In September 1951, by order of the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, the development and preparation for serial production of Soviet helicopters began, as a direct response to the American helicopter S-55. Designer Mikhail Mil and his office started testing the prototype in just seven months, and by the end of 1952 serial production was launched.
The Mi-4 is a medium transport helicopter of much larger dimensions and payload compared to the S-55. The spacious cargo area accommodated 1600 kg of cargo, 12 fully equipped soldiers, 8 wounded on stretchers or 16 passengers in civilian versions. It became the first military transport helicopter introduced into the Soviet Army in 1953 and it was also the first armed helicopter of the Warsaw Pact countries. In total, over 4,000 examples were produced in almost 40 different variants. In addition to military purposes, it was also used as a passenger, transport, sanitary, firefighting, search and rescue, polar expeditions, as a cargo helicopter for construction sites and for many other purposes. Production ceased in the USSR in 1969, and it was produced under license until 1979 in China.
It was used in 30 countries of the world, including Yugoslavia. The first two copies of the Mi-4 for the Yugoslav Army were acquired in December 1960, and by the middle of the following year, 22 more had arrived. The Mi-4 was used in the domestic armament until 1976. Twice the payload and lower purchase price of the Soviet helicopter accelerated the abandonment of the licensed production of the S-55 in Yugoslavia.
After decommissioning, one Mi-4 (reg.no.12013, f.no.06103) from the 107th helicopter regiment in Niš was transferred in 1977 to the Aeronautical Museum, where it is now exhibited as part of an external exhibition.
