During the past decade we have seen many notable achievements in aviation by Russian scientists, engineers and technicians. The first man in space, the first supersonic air liner, and the rapid growth of Aeroflot are but three of their more prominent successes.

In a rather less spectacular manner, the Russians have developed a very powerful helicopter industry and it is probably correct to say that no other country in the world has utilised the helicopter so extensively on such a wide variety of uses as have the Russians.

In this lecture, I will endeavour to briefly trace out the historical development of the helicopter in Russia and to review some of the current types in service.