The Mil Mi-8MTV2 (NATO Hip E) is the armed version of the Russian-built, medium lift twin-turbine combat transport and utility helicopter. The Mi-8MTV2’s six external hard points enable it to carry a wide variety of weapons. These include up to 6 x 100 kg or 250 kg, or 2 x 500 kg bombs; 23 mm and 30 mm gun pods; and 80mm rocket pods (120 rockets - HE, AP, Frag, Illum). The Hip E can also mount 12.7mm (0.5 inch) heavy machine guns in a side pod and on a swivel door-pintle.
One of the most successful military helicopters ever built, the Mil Mi-8 entered Soviet Air Force service in 1967. Able to carry up to 24 fully-armed combat troops, the Mi-8T series was also adapted to fire unguided-rockets. More than 17,000 Mil Mi-8 variants have been built, and it is in use with 50 countries.
The Hip E has a cruising speed of approximately 230 kph, a combat radius of 600 km and can carry loads of up to 6000 kg. It has seen combat all over the world, most extensively in the 1979-1989 Russian-Afghan War, where it proved to be a robust, effective and versatile workhorse. Exported widely, the Mil Mi-8 remains in service with many armed forces.
Developed by Belsimtek with help from a seasoned Mi-8 pilot, the DCS: Mi-8MTV2 ‘Magnificent Eight’ was created by the same expert team behind the DCS: UH-1H Huey. Take the controls and enjoy the space where virtual meets reality.
The development team was able to record actual Mi-8 audio in the field both inside and outside the cockpit under a variety of conditions specifically for this project. Many custom audio samples of actual Mi-8 sounds were taken in an effort to faithfully represent and immerse the player in the audio environment of the helicopter. Inside and outside the cockpit, the sound environment is filled with handcrafted audio that includes the main rotor, tail rotor, engine components, various cockpit switches and controls, and weapons.
A video of the team's field trip to record Mi-8 audio is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQY4TtjK0qk
DCS: Mi-8MTV2 features an accurately reproduced, highly detailed and interactive 3D cockpit with six-degrees-of-freedom ("6DOF") technology that allows the player to move the viewpoint in any direction inside the cockpit space. This means you can not only look up, down, left and right, but also raise or lower your viewpoint, slide to either side, move closer or further from the instrument panel, and even tilt left or right.
The cockpit includes the three standard crew positions of Pilot-Commander in the left seat, Pilot-Navigator in the right seat, and Flight Engineer in the center and slightly back.
Nearly all of the onboard systems of the helicopter are animated and functional, allowing the player to configure the systems in the cockpit by either using the mouse to click on the desired switches and controls or by using keyboard shortcuts that can be mapped to the player's control devices.
For low light/night operations, fully adjustable internal lighting is available and includes two flood lights and a number of panel and instrument light controls.
