The world’s biggest rotor craft

Mi-26 ‘Halo’

Type: very targe heavyfifi helicopter

Powerplant: two 0-136 turboahaft engines each rated at 8.280-kW (t 1 t03-hp.) and driving an eight-btoded rotor

It represent» one ul the greatest advances in rtsary – wing aviation The Mil !i-26 ‘Halo*, fine flown hi 19"!—. l*KtM* unbelievable Stfctigth and lifting power The Mil engineering team, expert* at Wg lielicopter design took Ruvua Ivy storm when ihcir Mil Mi-26 Ix’gan airline and military duties. Then tile ‘Halo went to work, exploiting forestry minerals and hydro – elect ru pwver III the frozen expanse "f Siberia. The Mi-26 is so lutge that it surprised no one when it picked up and moved a four Ічхігооіп house

Піе Mi-26 is hig. I Hit it is also a beauty. Two incredibly

chores with the Mi-26. One amazing leal of the Halo was to fly over the burning Chernobyl reactor, dropping chemicals and concrete to try and staunch the radioactive flow.

Maximum speed: 295 knvti (183 m p h ) ai 6096 m (20.000 ft.)

power! til engines drive its eight-hl. tdc-d main rotor Pilots love this friendly giant: it has a spacious llight deck at floor level with large windows bulged to permit a look at underslung loads, and TV cameras augment die pilots’ all-round view With tile Іч-леІіІ of tins amazing visibility, the crew have little difficulty in carrying out major

Above: Tho Mil design bureau has long specialised in hcavylift helicopters. One ot the first to be soon in the West was the Mi-10 ‘Harke’ flying crane.

Range: 800 km (497 mi.) at economical cruising speed. 2000 km (1,243 mi.) with au**ary fuel tank

Normal ceiling: 4600 m <16.000 ft)

Weights: empty 28200 kg (62.170 tb.) «adod 56000 kg (12.346 to.)

32 m (105 ft.) 33.73 m (110 ft 8 in.) 8 14 m (26 ft. 8 in) 804.25 m – (8.657 sq. ft l

Although the mam rotor ot tho ‘Halo’ is smaller than that of the preceding ‘Hook’, its advanced design generates more lift.

This htavyMt helicopter is in service with the Russian air force. Aeroflot, the Ukraine, and the Indian air force.

The VC’ Mi-26 has been designed vain the same tttemal rauss – Bocoon as the Syushm «-78 togstc freighter At 3.2 metre© squem (34 eq. ft.), it can hold contane»s or medn/n-saed vehicles w«xxjt ап/ difficulty

The eght-ttoded rotor <s ot very до.-апсоо Ое&дп ano of tghtweght but strong construct cr. ft enables the M – 26 to cany trace the toad of its predecessor»

Two ЫЯС-kW (11 203-ho) Lotamv turboahaft engnes power the V ‘.’fl ’Ivee oeir. er over 50 per cent more power than tne tfvw erv^nm of the Amenenn &коіаку CH-53E Scpm

CWTBnty utibsng ah/Twmzn-Mhwm altoy n its rotors, the •Halo – wf be fitted witncomposte bades in the future

СССР-06141

COMBAT DATA

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Hato’ can be quckty jurtd tor passenger port, freight, disaster reef ambulance Лйюз Ассеаз to tho cobm is through a large Олт ot clamshell doors at the nvtr. w(h a tower poor acting as о vehcie ramp.

Mil’s monsters

f Ш mil mi-6 ’HOOK": F<rst flown in 1957. H>e massive l№6 1 two decades If» world’s largest operational helicopter ■(yarn-, iup wings to provide ext/a lilt m forward flight. It could Carri 5S passengers or up to 12 tons of cargo internally.

CH-S3I SurtR SIAUIM

■ MIL Ml-10 HARKE’: Although the cabin of the Mi-6 was txg. И still could not handle outsize toads The Mi-10. which first flew л 1960. was a flying crane variant capable of hoisting loads the size of a bus and up to 14 tons In weight.

■ MIL V-12 ’HOMER’: The experimental aircraft «the largest rotary-winged machine ever flown. Powered by two sets of Mi-10 engines and rotors, rt carried a load of 40 tons to 2000 m (6,500 ft.), but control ргсФетз meant that It never entered production.