Nobody talks about the Mi-2. And that’s honestly a shame, because it’s exactly the kind of helicopter that deserves more love in the sim world.
The Mil Mi-2 Hoplite is a Soviet-designed, Polish-built light utility workhorse. Medevac, agriculture, anti-tank, offshore support — this little twin-turbine did it all across Eastern Europe for decades, and it’s been conspicuously absent from MSFS in any serious payware form. Until now.
On April 23rd, a brand-new studio called Digital Aeronautics dropped their Mi-2 for MSFS 2020 on SimMarket — and for a debut release, they went all in. We’re talking photogrammetry modeling built from thousands of photos taken at real airfields, over 6,000 individual rivets placed by hand, and fully modeled electrical, hydraulic, fuel, pneumatic, and fire suppression systems. Not bad for a first release. Actually, not bad for anyone.
The cockpit is analog, classic, and exactly what you’d expect from a Soviet-era bird. Procedures come straight from the real Mi-2 operational manual. Startup isn’t a button-press affair — you actually have to know what you’re doing. There’s full VR support too, which should make a few people very happy.
Community reaction has been warm, to put it mildly. One SimMarket reviewer wrote that no other developer currently offers this level of cockpit quality in MSFS. That’s a strong claim, but looking at the screenshots, it’s hard to argue.
One honest caveat: this is MSFS 2020 only for now. The 2024 version is in development but with no confirmed date, which stings a little given how many simmers have already moved to 2024.
Still — the Mi-2 is here, it’s serious, and the rotorhead community finally gets an Eastern bloc gem worth flying.
Available on SimMarket. Launch price: €24.49 (30% discount). Full price: €34.99.
