The Mi-26 from the Russian Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant is the largest helicopter in the world
The Mil Mi-10 helicopter is powered by two Soloviev D-25V turboshaft engines
Image courtesy of Dmitriy Pichugin
The Mil Mi-6 heavy lift helicopter has a maximum takeoff weight of 425 t
Image courtesy of Charles Osta
A CH-53 Super Stallion takes off from the cockpit of the USS Essex
Image courtesy of LTC Cynthia Teramae
A US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey, a variant of the V-22 Osprey, prepares to land on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4)
Image courtesy of Apprentice Veronica Mammin – US Navy
A US Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter prepares to lift an armored vehicle
Image courtesy of the US Army
S-64E Erickson Air-Crane heavy-lift firefighting helicopter
Image courtesy of Etan Tal
The Mi-38 is a state-of-the-art heavy lift helicopter capable of operating day/night in all weather conditions
Image courtesy of Russian Нelicopters, JSC
Image courtesy of Russian Нelicopters, JSC
The AC313 helicopter is the largest civilian helicopter ever developed in China
Image courtesy of Shimin Gu
A close frontal view of a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter
Image courtesy of Stephen M
The Mi-26, popularly known as the Halo, is the world’s largest production helicopter
It is a twin-engine heavy lift helicopter designed and produced by Russian Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant
Since its debut at the Paris Air Show in 1981, the Halo has been sold to 20 countries around the world
The helicopter is used for military and civilian missions and is available in 13 variants, which can lift up to 56,000 kg
The Halo’s payload capacity is comparable to that of a C-130 domestic transport aircraft, and it features a 12m-long, 33m-wide cargo area that can accommodate two combat vehicles weighing up to 9,988kg
The cockpit can accommodate four crew including pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and navigator
Development of the Mi-26 began in the early 1970s with the ambitious goal of producing a helicopter with twice the payload of any other helicopter
The Mil Mi-10 (NATO codename: Harke) is a flying crane configuration of the Mi-6 helicopter built by the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant in Russia
The helicopter has retained many of the equipment and systems including engines, transmission and rotor system
The helicopter has a maximum takeoff weight of 43,700 kg (96,340 lb) and can accommodate up to 28 passengers inside the cabin
The Mi-10 is powered by two Soloviev D-25V turboshaft engines, each developing a maximum power of 4,100kW (5,500hp)
The large external fuel tanks on board the Mi-10 provide a maximum range of around 430 km
The Mi-6 (NATO codename: Hook) was the largest helicopter in the world when it first flew in 1957
Developed to meet civil and military requirements, over 900 Mi-6 helicopters were built by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant before production ceased in 1981
The Mi-6’s large fuselage offers enough space to accommodate 65 armed soldiers or 41 bed patients, plus two participants, and it can also carry a variety of heavy loads, including vehicles
The helicopter has a maximum takeoff weight of 42,500 kg (93,700 lb)
The Mi-6 helicopter is powered by two Soloviev D-25V turboshaft engines mounted on top of the center section of the fuselage
Each engine is capable of developing a maximum power of 4,100kW (5,500shp)
The CH-53 Super Stallion is a development of the CH-53 Sea Stallion heavy lift helicopter
It is currently the largest helicopter in service with the US military
The Super Stallion helicopter is in service with the US Marine Corps heavy helicopter squadrons, forming a vital element of composite squadrons that deliver heavy cargo and supplies for amphibious assault missions
Three General Electric T64-GE-416/416A turboshaft engines power the CH-53 Super Stallion
Each engine rated at 4,380 shp (3,270 kW) ensures the helicopter can take off with a maximum weight of 33,300 kg (73,500 lb)
The V-22 Osprey, produced as part of a strategic alliance between Bell Helicopter and Boeing, is a unique helicopter with multi-mission capability
It is a high-speed aircraft that allows for the rapid transport of crew or cargo
It can accommodate 24 combat troops or up to 15,876 kg (35,000 lbs) of internal and external cargo
The Osprey was designed to meet the specific requirements of four US armed forces
It is a tilt-rotor aircraft that takes off and lands similar to a helicopter
It is equipped with two powerful Rolls-Royce engines whose nacelle can be rotated to convert the aircraft into a turboprop aircraft
The engines develop a power of 6,150shp each
The CH-47 Chinook is a Boeing heavy lift helicopter
Chinook can perform various transport missions
The helicopter is mainly used for transporting troops, war supplies and battlefield equipment
It can also be utilized in medical evacuations, disaster relief, search and rescue, aircraft recovery, firefighting, parachute dropping, heavy construction and civil development operations, making it a true multi-mission helicopter
Some of the notable missions that Chinooks were used in include the Gulf War and Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm
The empty weight of the CH-47D/F Chinook is 10,614 kg (23,401 lb)
The maximum takeoff weight is 22,679 kg (50,000 lb)
The helicopter is powered by two Textron Lycoming T55-L712 engines
The S-64 Aircrane (formerly known as the Skycrane) is a heavy lift helicopter currently manufactured by Erickson Air-Crane
A civilian version of the US Army’s CH-54 Tarhe helicopter, the S-64 was originally developed by the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
Erickson Air-Crane purchased the helicopter’s type certificate and manufacturing rights from Sikorsky in the early 1990s
The Aircrane was the first flying crane helicopter built with an aft-facing pilot station
The maximum takeoff weight of the helicopter is 19,050 kg (42,000 lb)
The twin-engine Aircrane’s twin Pratt&Whitney T73-P-700 turboshaft engines provide a combined power of 9,600shp (7,160kW)
The Mi-38 is a multipurpose helicopter also developed by Mil Moscow Helicopters Plant, which can be used in cargo and passenger transport, search and rescue, offshore missions and for air ambulance services
It can accommodate 30 passengers on transport missions and 16 stretchers when used as a hospital
The cockpit can accommodate two pilots
A single pilot can fly the helicopter in payload configuration
The power plant of the Mi-38 consists of two Klimov TV7-117V engines
The helicopter weighs approximately 8,300kg and has a maximum takeoff weight of 15,600kg
Avicopter’s AC313 is the largest civilian helicopter ever built in China
The Avicopter AC313 can be deployed in search and rescue (SAR) missions, maritime surveillance, firefighting, offshore oil and gas support, cargo transport and medical evacuation
The power plant of the AC313 includes three Pratt & Whitney PT6B-67A engines
The typical seating arrangement can accommodate two crew and up to 27 passengers
The CH-46 Sea Knight is a medium lift twin turbine tandem rotor transport helicopter originally produced by Vertol, a US based company
The CH-46A was designed exclusively for the US Marine Corps in 1961 in a design competition for a medium assault transport helicopter
The helicopter is also available in a civilian variant known as the BV-107 II
The first CH-64A helicopter was used during the Vietnam War in 1965
Each of the two General Electric T-58-GE-16 turboshaft engines develops 1,400kW (1,870shp) of power
It has a maximum takeoff weight of 11,000 kg (24,300 lb)
Airbus and Boeing currently build the world’s largest passenger planes, with the mighty Airbus A380-800 and its rival Boeing 777-300, while Russia’s Ilyushin also stands out as the only other company to make the list