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The Mi-4 (NATO code name 'Hound') is a single-engine, medium lift transport helicopter. Replacing the Mi-1, the design was primarily a reaction to the introduction of the Sikorsky S-55 (H-19 Sickasaw) by the US Army during the Korean War. The Mi-4 uses exactly the same configuration as the S-55, with its remarkable engine placement in the nose of the machine. Moreover, the fuselage closely resembles the S-55 design. However, the aircraft was not a precise copy, as only the overall layout ideas were taken as a reference point. The engineering of the machine was the company’s own and is consequently Russian in every detail. The Mi-4 is also a lot bigger. With the Mi-4, the Soviet Union (and the Warsaw Pact countries) laid the foundation for its helicopter force, with more than 3500 units being built. Mil thus demonstrated that it could produce large numbers of very reliable helicopters.
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