VIGIL CONSILIUM
Context, not headlines
PUBLIC ALPHAEvolving coverage — see the methodology and the corrections log.
Equipment Catalogue · Shared across conflicts

Mi-8/Mi-17 Hip

Force Atlas / Equipment / Mi-8/Mi-17 Hip

Recognition context, not a stat sheet. The catalogue covers major publicly documented systems relevant to the conflicts Vigil covers — not an exhaustive order of battle. No quantities, availability or current allocations are recorded. See the methodology.
Helicopter

Mi-8/Mi-17 Hip

The most widely used military helicopter ever built — assault transport, resupply and medevac, and the only way into places roads cannot safely reach.

FieldedEvidence: Confirmed
Silhouette · not to scale

Record

FamilyMi-8
VariantsMi-8; Mi-17; Mi-171Sh
OriginSoviet Union / Russia
Era1967 service entry; fielded by both sides in Ukraine; Mi-171Sh delivered to Mali 2021–2022
Appears inUkraine–Russia · Mali

Conflict relevance

This is the catalogue's single record for this system. It is relevant to the modules below; each module's Force Atlas shows how it is used there.

Ukraine–Russia · Force AtlasMali · Force Atlas

Operators

Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) · Primary operatorRussia — Mali theatre role · Secondary operatorUkraine · Primary operatorRussia · Primary operator

Ukraine: The backbone of Ukrainian army aviation: assault transport, resupply and medevac. · Russia: Fielded across all Russian aviation branches in the same roles.

DonorsRussia

Battlefield role

In Ukraine, the backbone of battlefield aviation on both sides — assault transport, resupply and medevac flown under constant air-defence threat. In Mali, the Mi-171Sh deliveries are the state's air mobility, connecting garrisons that roads no longer safely reach.

Branch & service operators

PartialConfidence: highStatus as of 2026-06Reviewed 2026-07-19Sources: Established international media reporting · ACLED conflict data & analysis · Oryx visually-confirmed equipment documentationMethodology