From Mi-1 to Mi-24: founder of the Mil Design Bureau that rewrote helicopter history
In 1941, with German forces closing in, Mil was ordered to destroy the Special Constructions Department archive. Unable to burn years of research, he smuggled the documents out of the lab and onto an evacuation truck. Those papers later became the foundation of Soviet helicopter design.
Founder of the Soviet helicopter industry. Born to a Jewish family in Irkutsk, he began at TsAGI as Kamov's assistant studying autogyros, then founded his own design bureau in 1947 and created the Mi-1. His KB went on to produce the Mi-4, Mi-6, Mi-8, Mi-10, Mi-12, and Mi-24, setting 60 world records; the Mi-8 became the most-produced twin-turbine helicopter in history. His single-rotor design prevailed over Kamov's coaxial approach, and Igor Sikorsky's son acknowledged Mil had surpassed the US in heavy-lift helicopters. Awarded three Orders of Lenin and Hero of Socialist Labor, he died of a stroke in 1970; his Mi-24 became the most combat-tested helicopter in the world, operating in over 100 countries.
Career Timeline
- 1926–31Studied aviation in Tomsk and Novocherkassk; interned on first Soviet autogyro under Kamov
- 1931–41TsAGI Special Constructions Dept.; developed A-7, A-12, A-15 autogyros
- 1940–41Deputy Chief Designer, Rotorcraft Plant No. 290 (under Kamov)
- 1941–43Drafted; served in autogyro squadron on the Western Front; improved fighter stability
- 1943–47Head of TsAGI Laboratory No. 5; led helicopter research; earned doctorate (1945)
- 1947–64Chief Designer, State Helicopter KB — created Mi-1, Mi-4, Mi-6
- 1964–70General Designer, Mil KB — Mi-8, Mi-10, Mi-12, Mi-24; 60 world records