Saw this guy today. dark green/brown cammo it looks like. cant see ANY discernible markings. and an exhaust that I havent seen on any other Mi-8/17/171. cant really say where I saw it, but its not in the US.

any help appreciated, thanks

Very nice photos! It is a Mil Mi-17 military version with two TV3-117M Turboshafts of 2,070 shaft horsepower each, NATO Code name 'Hip'. The key is the relocated anti-torque rotor to the port side of the tailboom, also the round windows vice squared of the civil version. The engine air intakes look to be munitions-protected.

The re-engined Mi-17 was first publicly revealed to the west at the 1981 Paris Airshow.

Very nice photos! It is a Mil Mi-17 military version with two TV3-117M Turboshafts of 2,070 shaft horsepower each, NATO Code name 'Hip'. The key is the relocated anti-torque rotor to the port side of the tailboom, also the round windows vice squared of the civil version. The engine air intakes look to be munitions-protected.

The re-engined Mi-17 was first publicly revealed to the west at the 1981 Paris Airshow.

wow ok maybe i should have been way more specific. guess i thought that by putting the EXACT model, Mi-171Sh, in the title I was pretty clear I knew what it was. its who operates it, and any knowledge of a registration or serial number I am looking for, which i also thought was apparent by the fact that I put that none was visible or discernible.

Well, you did write Mi-8/17/171 which are three different helicopter series. There are multiple variants of the general NATO 'Hip' designator with dash letters after 'Hip', -A, -C, -D, -K, etc. Just to confuses it more, Russia puts the 17 and 171 variants under the Mi-8 category, notwithstanding NATO. I believe the Sh versions feature an electro optic sight and radar, and can be armed.

Russia did not build all versions, just to add more confusion. The Mi-171 was an export equivalent of the Russian Mi-8AMT built by Ulan-Ude and the Mi-172/Mi-8MTV-3 were export equivalents of the Mi-8AMT built by Kazan, both of the Russian Federation. Further, there were update programs.

I expect the 'stealth' aspects of operator, SerNo, etc are of military purpose. Who is an enemy? is the question they wish to portray, my bet. I share your concern.

My information shows at least 43 different countries have operated the NATO 'Hip' versions, including Armenia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Slovak Republic, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine and Venezuela to just give an alphabetic smattering.

8 days later

caught him again today. had a chance to get a real close look, though not a pic from that close, and not a THING as far as markings go. but you can see a small spot, probably 2 ft X 1 ft, that looks like someone painted over some sort of marking. anyways, here is the pic from today

Looks like weapons poking out the side door. Hope you are photographing from a concealed, hardened position! Ours is not a safe world. Your site perhaps even less so. :(

You might be able to figure out who it is based on the weapons and uniforms.

You might be able to figure out who it is based on the weapons and uniforms.

considering the uniforms seem to be different each time i see it, and sometimes its civilians, and sometimes there are no weapons but i cant seem to get a good enough look at what they are exactly.....id say thats pretty difficult

I assumed you might have gotten a look at the door gunner when the last picture was taken.