The Mil Mi-26 Halo is the world’s largest production helicopter

The Mi-26 (NATO designation Halo) is a twin-turbine heavy-lift helicopter. It is the world’s largest production helicopter. The Halo’s development started in the early 1970s. The designer’s goal was to produce a helicopter with a load capacity twice that of any contemporary helicopter. The first Mi-26 Halo prototype flew in December 1977 and was first displayed at the Paris Air Show in 1981. In 1982, Russian squadrons received their first Halos, which were not fully operational until 1983. In 1986, India was the first country to purchase a Halo. Since then Halos have been sold to nearly twenty countries. The cost of a Halo is between $10 million and $12 million.

The Halo has the load-carrying capability of a domestic C-130 transport plane. Its cargo area, with the rear ramp closed, is 12 m long, and 3.2 m wide, with a minimum ceiling height of 2.9 m. This cargo area can hold two combat vehicles weighting 9 988 kg each. The interior can be configured to seat 80 combat-equipped troops or 60 stretchers. However there were cases when this helicopter was flying overloaded with 150 troops. The Halo is flown by a crew of four: pilot, copilot, flight engineer, and navigator. The flight deck and cabin are fully air conditioned, but only the flight deck is pressurized.

The Halo’s landing gear is a noretractable tricycle-type with a steerable nose wheel. The main gear can be hydraulically adjusted to facilitate loading through the rear door. This adjustable feature is also used when landing on varied surfaces. Each of the main gears has a sensor to determine takeoff weight. This information is displayed at the flight engineer’s station at liftoff.

The Halo’s retractable tail skid offers unrestricted accessibility to the rear cargo loading door. There is a hatch on the underside of the fuselage that opens to give access to a load sling. This sling is attached to an internal winch that’s in-line with the main rotor shaft. Closed-circuit television cameras enable crew members to monitor the load beneath the aircraft.

The Halo was the first helicopter to successfully fly with an eight-blade main rotor. This rotor is 32 m in diameter and is made of composites and aluminum alloys, with a leading edge made of titanium. The main rotor head and the tail rotor head are both made of titanium. The flight controls are hydraulically boosted with a redundant autopilot and stability-augmentation system. The enormous Halo is powered by two 10 000-shaft-horsepower ZMKB Progress D-136 turboshaft engines. Each engine bay is made of titanium for protection against fire. Several variants of the Mi-26 Halo have been built.

Related Posts

Look at the World’s Biggest Aircraft Eʋer Constructed

While size does мatter, it is not necessarily always a мeasure of aʋiation рoweг. Howeʋer, this did not stop gifted engineers, who haʋe, for decades now, Ƅeen…

Meet The SR-71 BlackƄird: The Fastest Air-Breathing Aircraft Eʋer

How the SR-71 Becaмe the Fastest Plane in the World: The Lockheed Martin SR-71 BlackƄird (or, as its aircrew мeмƄers haʋe duƄƄed it, the HaƄu, after a pit ʋiper indigenous to…

Discover South Africa’s First Domestically Produced Attack Helicopter (VIDEO)

The Atlas/Denel AH-2 Rooivalk is an early example of how South Africa successfully built up its own arms industry. The Atlas (now Denel) AH-2 Rooivalk (Red Kestrel) is in…

Presenting the іnѕane  Mach 7.2 space plane, Star Raker

In the 1970s Aмerica fасed increasingly woгѕe energy ѕһoгtаɡeѕ. It’s мain source of petroleuм had ground to a halt thanks to the international сгіѕіѕ in Iran and…

50 BEST AVIATION MOMENTS EVER CAUGHT ON CAMERA

Tһe аⱱіаtіoп іпdᴜѕtгу һаѕ Ьгoᴜɡһt ᴜѕ ѕome of tһe moѕt аmаzіпɡ momeпtѕ іп һіѕtoгу, апd foгtᴜпаteɩу, mапу of tһeѕe momeпtѕ һаⱱe Ьeeп сарtᴜгed oп саmeга. Fгom tһe…

CAIC Z-10 (WZ-10) Attack Helicopter

The CAIC Z-10 also called WZ-10, is an attack helicopter developed by the People’s Republic of China. It is designed primarily for anti-tank ωλɾʄλɾɛ missions but has…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *