Every nation that has a border along a major body of water needs to have the ability to rescue ships in distress and if that body of water is international, it might be a good idea to have the ability to find and destroy submarines of a potential enemy. Poland is situated along the Baltic sea, and while there have been few 'enemy' submarines operating in the Baltic, there have been plenty of ships that run into trouble. The best way to answer the call in both instances is with a helicopter and ideally, that helicopter should be able to alight on the water while either searching for subs or rescuing ship's crews.

Probably the most well known helicopter with this ability is the Sea King. However, when Poland needed a helo like this, buying from the West was not an option. Fortunately, Mil helicopters in the then Soviet Union, took the basic Sea King idea of a helo with a boat hull and attached the Mi-8 engine and rotor system to it. The result was the Mi-14 'Haze'.

273 of these useful helicopters were made with 150 being exported, many to what were then Soviet client states and that included Poland. 16 were purchased initially with the majority of them being SAR helos (Mi-14 PL) with a few being the ASW type (Mi-14 PR). Over the years, two of each type has been lost in accidents with one additional airframe being purchased. All of the remaining ASW helos have been converted to SAR use (Mi-14 PL/R).

This is the story of those 17 helicopters.

In line with other monograph type publications in the series, there is an opening history of the type. This includes why it was purchased and then the number of helos bought, when they were delivered and their service history. This section includes a historical chart that includes data on each one and their fate or current disposition. A section on the various camouflage and markings schemes is in this opening portion. It has along with it images of all the special and unit markings that have been carried on these aircraft. This includes a few shark mouth aircraft and a commemorative scheme.

The main portion of the book looks at each individual serial number from the day it arrived until its appearance today. The vast majority of photos in this section and the rest of the book are in full color and only the best are chosen. Each aircraft photo section also includes one or more large color profiles of the helo. These profiles cover nearly the full height of each page as they are presented in landscape format. The final section of the book is a detailed walk-around and walk-through to show all the various areas and systems of the Mi-14.

In all, it is another superlative reference book from Stratus that those not familiar with the type should find of special interest. Like all of the books produced by Stratus, the research and presentation are superlative. It and the other books in the series are most highly recommended.

October 2011

Review book courtesy of MMP Books, where you can order your copy of this and many other superb aviation and modeling books. Also available in the US from Casemate Publications and in Australia from Platypus Publications

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