Moskovskiy Vertoletnyy Zavod (MVZ) imeni M. L. Milya OJSC "MVZ named after Mil" OKB imeni M. L. Milya Mil Experimental Design Bureau Mil Design Bureau Plant #329 of Ministry for Aviation Industry State Plant #3 2 Sokolnichesky Val, 107113 Moscow, Russia Tel.: + 7 095 264 4762, Fax: + 7 095 263 4762, Telex: 412144 MIL SU
The Moscow Mil Helicopter Plant includes a design bureau and an experimental production plant. The Mil Design Bureau is one of the world's leading developers of helicopters, with particular expertise in heavy-lift helicopters. It has developed both civil and military versions in a wide range of payload capacities (160-20,000 kg), including the world's largest, the Mi-26. Ninety-five percent of the helicopters in the former Soviet Union were built to Mil designs. The major manufacturer of the Mil family helicopters, the Moscow Plant has produced over 20,000 helicopters of which about 6,000 have been exported to many countries around the world.
Mil does not sell helicopters - mass production factories and Rosvooruzhenie do it. Series production facilities for Mil-designed helicopters also include:
MiL has developed and put into mass production 12 major platforms, being the Mi-1, Mi-2, Mi-4, Mi-6, Mi-8, Mi-10, Mi-10K, Mi-14, Mi-17, Mi-24, Mi-26 and Mi-34. Currently the main products include the Mi-28 Havoc attack helicopter, Mi-26 Halo heavy-lift transport helicopter, and Mi-17 and Mi-8 Hip medium-lift multipurpose helicopters.
Mil has entered into a long-term contract with the Franco-German firm Eurocopter to jointly develop the Mi-38 medium-lift helicopter (30-passenger, 15,000-kg class). Mil is also developing the Mi-34 light (5- to 6-passenger) multirole helicopter with various engine options and the Mi-54 light (10- to 12-passenger, 1,000-1,300 kg cargo) multirole helicopter. Another new Mil design is the Mi-46, a heavy-lift helicopter proposed in both transport and crane configurations to replace the Mi-6 and Mi-10K. In 1992 Mil signed an agreement with the Brooke Group, an Anglo-American conglomerate, to provide spares, support, and technical services for Mil helicopters worldwide through its subsidiary Mil-Brooke Helicopters, headquartered in Miami, Florida. Previously, Mil itself had been the only qualified source of support for Mil helicopters. In addition to its new civil and transport helicopter designs, Mil has proposed a new military model, the Mi-40 "infantry combat vehicle" helicopter.
The Mil Moscow helicopter plant was founded in December, 1947 as Design bureau on helicopter building headed by Mikhail Leontievich Mil. Initially it was located on the TsAGI territory and since 1948 - in Tushino, since 1951 - in Moscow.
The State Plant #3 wood-processing factory was located on the outskirts of Sokolniki-park at 2nd Rybinskaya street. During the pre-war period it had manufactured packaging boxes and furniture. During the Great Patriotic War its workshops were affiliated to large Moscow Aviation Plant #381. Wooden parts of wings for Lavochkin fighters were manufactured there. From early 1944 the Bratukhin Experimental Design Bureau #3 was located on the territory of Plant #381. Its profile wasn't in line with the main profile of the Plant, so by the order of People's Commissar for Aviation Industry, dated 10 January 1946, EDB-3 was transferred to 2nd Rybinskaya street. Since then the affiliated branch of Plant #381 became the main center of domestic helicopter building. By a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR on 29 September 1948, Experimental Plant #3 of the Ministry for Aviation Industry Ministry was established on the basis of the above affiliated branch. Besides the Bratukhin Experimental Design Bureau, it housed the Kamov Experimental Design Bureau, as well as the specialised jet helicopter-building Design Group under Yu.L.Starinin, B.Ya.Zherebtsov and Yu.S.Braginsky. The the specialised design bureau for aerodrome equipment was also located there, which was manufacturing serial units for start-up.
The Ministry of Aviation Industry considered developing experimental helicopter building at the Moscow Plant #3, where the Mil Design Bureau was supposed to be transferred to. But this small wood processing factory was already overpopulated by different institutions. In the spring of 1951 the old Bratukhin helicopter Design Bureau was disbanded at the Plant #3 and the Ministry directed Mil to occupy the now vacant premises. When Mil moved shifted to Plant #3 the situation changed. Kamov moved into the vacated premises of OKB-4 at Tushino, and then the rest of the institutions left the plant. After October 1951 Mil Design Bureau became a sole master of the plant, which was renamed Plant #329 of Ministry for Aviation Industry. In the early 1960s the Council of Ministers issued an enactment on building a new complex at State Plant #329 in Panki. This complex included not only Experimental Design Bureau buildings, experimental production and testing facilities, but also living quarters and consumer services. Taking into account the situation in the country, Mil arranged the building of the completely independent small town. In 1963 the first buildings, including assembly section, where they immediately started working at the new helicopters, were ready. The entire plant complex was completed in 1966, and laboratory and stand complexes for ground-based tests of similar scale to that of production facilities in dimensions were completed in 1971. Nearly all Mil helicopters were manufactured at the Plant #329 in large batches. In 1967 State Aviation Plant 329 was renamed the Moscow Helicopter Plant. Mikhail Leontyevich Mil, founder and designer general of the Moscow Helicopter Plant, died on 31 January 1970 at the age of 60, and the Moscow Helicopter Plant was named after him. In 1979 the Moscow helicopter plant was named after Mil.