Mi-26 ‘Halo’

• Heavylift helicopter • Largest rotor craft in the world

The Mil Mi-26 brings size and brute

force to the bold adventure of taming the wildest terrain on our planet. To permit humans to tap the wealthy resources of inhospitable Siberia, Mil engineers produced the largest helicopter being used anywhere. They made it a flying powerhouse, able to get in and out of tight places in fearsome winter climates while carrying cargoes of record-breaking size and weight.

T Damage control

In tho lint panicked response to the disastor at Chomobyt, Mi-26s were usod to dump tons of sand to smother the fires in tho out-of-control nuclear reactor.

A Western visitor

Tho first sight of the giant Mr-26 was af Wesfem air shows, but Russian operators are now pushing hard to market its unmatched hcavyhft capacity as a commercial proposition.

► Multi-role

With such a huge cargo hold, tho ‘Halo’ can carry a wide variety of loads. Its maximum payload is 20 tons, and it can carry light armoured vehicles, oilfield equipment or more than 100 passengers.

◄ Crewing the giant

Unhko Western helicopters, which havo highly automated cockpits, the Mi-26 has a full four-man flight crew of two pilots, navigator and engineer.

FACTS AND FIGURES

>• The fuselage of tho ‘Halo’ Is twice the size of a Douglas DC-3 transport.

>- India was the only overseas customer for tho *Halo purchasing 10 aircraft.

>- Tho Mi-26 is larger inside than a C-130 Hercules, and is the biggest helicopter over put Into production.

>• To ease freight handling, there are two 2500-kg (5,511-lb.) winches in tho cargo ho&

► Tho circle created by the Mi-26’s rotor ha* four times tho area of the VS-300.

an early helicopter.

► ‘Halo1 carries 30 times the payload of a helicopter like the Bell JotRangor.