The helicopter is currently in use by 58 countries. During the early s, it became apparent to Soviet designer Mikhail Mil that the trend towards ever-increasing battlefield mobility would result in the creation of flying infantry fighting vehicles , which could be used to perform both fire support and infantry transport missions. The first expression of this concept was a mock-up unveiled in in the experimental department of the Ministry of Aircraft's factory number , where Mil was head designer.
The mock-up designated V was based on another project, the V utility helicopter, which never flew. The V had a central infantry compartment that could hold eight troops sitting back to back, and a set of small wings positioned to the top rear of the passenger cabin, capable of holding up to six missiles or rockets and a twin-barreled GShL cannon fixed to the landing skid.
Mil proposed the design to the heads of the Soviet armed forces. While he had the support of a number of strategists, he was opposed by several more senior members of the armed forces, who believed that conventional weapons were a better use of resources.
Despite the opposition, Mil managed to persuade the defence minister's first deputy, Marshal Andrey A. Grechko , to convene an expert panel to look into the matter. While the panel's opinions were mixed, supporters of the project eventually held sway and a request for design proposals for a battlefield support helicopter was issued.
The development and use of gunships and attack helicopters by the US Army during the Vietnam War convinced the Soviets of the advantages of armed helicopter ground support, and fostered support for the development of the Mi Mil engineers prepared two basic designs: a 7-ton single-engine design and a Later, three complete mock-ups were produced, along with five cockpit mock-ups to allow the pilot and weapon station operator positions to be fine-tuned.
