The most lifting helicopters in the world

At the dawn of the helicopter era, helicopters carried only a pilot, sometimes an additional passenger. Modern models are able to lift tens of tons of equipment and materials into the air, moving them to a height of thousands of meters and a distance of hundreds of kilometers. It so happened that in historical terms, the leading places in the world in helicopter construction were occupied by the United States and the Soviet Union (during the years of the country's existence, the most powerful machines were built). In these states, the heaviest and most powerful helicopters, which have no equal in the world, have been designed and launched into a series (but not all).

V-12 (Mi-12)

This device set 8 records that are unlikely to be broken in the near future. The machine was developed by the Design Bureau. Mile, which by the middle of 1967 had created a real giant. The vehicle was created by order of the Ministry of Defense: he needed aircraft to transport ballistic missiles to hard-to-reach regions of the Soviet Union. Therefore, the helicopter has a “purely” aircraft fuselage, equipped with wings with gas turbine engines D-25VF, which developed 6500 “horses” each.



For the first time, the giant took to the skies on 27.06.1967/1971/12. The tests were successful and they decided to show the car at the air show in the French Le Bourget, where in XNUMX it not only impressed visitors, but made a splash. Specifications B-XNUMX:

• ? screw diameter - 35 m
  
• ? weight - 105 tons (take-off) and 69,1 tons (empty)
  
• ? length, height - 37 and 12,5 m
  
• ? speed - up to 260 km / h
  
• ? ceiling - 3500 m
  
• ? number of passengers - up to 169 people
  

Helicopter lifted 44200 kg of cargo to a height of 2,25 km. When the machine was ready for serial production, it turned out that the Ministry of Defense no longer needed it. In other industries, there was simply no suitable work for the giant. The project was deemed economically inexpedient and closed. A couple of devices were produced, now located in the museum.

Mi-26

Second place is also with the Soviet apparatus, released into the world by the same Design Bureau. This machine was the result of the modernization of the Mi-6 model. For the first time the helicopter flew on 14.12.1977/26/25. And immediately began to set world records. Today, not a single machine of this class can repeat the result of the Mi-4600, which managed to lift 2000 tons to 56,768 m. The second achievement is XNUMX m in height with a gross weight of XNUMX tons.



The helicopters began to be mass-produced in 1980 in Rostov-on-Don, where they are still manufactured today. The machine turned out to be so successful that it immediately attracted the interest of many countries. In different versions, the helicopter was supplied to 12 countries, where it was used not only as an airtruck", but also as a military transport vehicle. Characteristics:

• ? main rotor - 32 m (diameter)
  
• ? length, height - 40,025 and 8,145 m
  
• ? weight - 28,2 tons (empty) and 56 tons (takeoff)
  
• ? number of passengers - up to 85 people (90 soldiers)
  
• ? load capacity - 20 t
  
• ? top speed - up to 295 km / h
  
• ? flight range - 500 km
  
• ? maximum height - 4600 m
  

Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion

For some reason, the states, unlike the Soviet Union, did not need rotorcraft supergiants. Therefore, America limited itself to the development and creation of a more modest machine. It was needed by the military department - the Marine Corps, because the previous Sea Stallion helicopter did not suit in terms of carrying capacity and capacity. Therefore, the "Super stallion" was created - this is how the name of the Sikorsky helicopter (by the way, a native of Russia) is translated. Not surprisingly, the successor has half the nodes from its predecessor. But unlike him, there is a third motor, other propellers. The novelty used composites, light alloys. They also installed an in-flight refueling system. General technical data:

• ? diameter of the main screw - 22,02 m
  
• ? length, height - 20,47 and 5,22 m
  
• ? weight - 14,68 tons (empty) and 19,051 tons (takeoff)
  
• ? lifting capacity - 14,515 tons inside or 16,329 tons outside
  
• ? number of passengers - 38 paratroopers
  
• ? top speed - 307 km / h
  
• ? flight range - up to 1000 km
  
• ? ceiling - 5105 m
  

The flight of the prototype took place on March 1.03.1974, 1980. But it was unsuccessful - a disaster occurred. Further tests were postponed, they resumed only a year later. Serial production was established in 1981 and in 36 the helicopter entered the US Air Force. The helicopter took part in the Vietnam War, where 53 pieces of equipment were lost. Also, the "super stallion" was used in hostilities in Iraq and Afghanistan. To date, the Sikorsky CH-XNUMXE Super Stallion is the heaviest American helicopter.

Boeing CH-47 Chinook

The model is the most popular in both the US and NATO allies. The car began to be designed back in 1956, and initially they used a scheme with a longitudinal arrangement of two screws, which at that time was not widespread. This design has its advantages, among which the main plus is a voluminous and easy-to-use cargo compartment. Characteristics of the modification MH-47E:

• ? propeller dimensions - 18,29 m each
  
• ? length, height - 15,87 and 5,59 m
  
• ? weight - 12,21 (empty) and 24,494 (takeoff)
  
• ? engines - 4168 "horses" each
  
• ? number of passengers - up to 55 soldiers
  
• ? load capacity - 12,284 t
  
• ? top speed - 285 km / h
  
• ? ceiling - 3090 m
  
• ? flight range - up to 2333 km (ferry) and 935 (combat)
  

The machine began to be used in the US Armed Forces since 1962 and soon ended up in Vietnam. There, the helicopter showed its best side and drew praise from the military. Although almost half of the cars were shot down or lost during flight emergencies. The Boeing CH-47 Chinook has gone through a huge number of upgrades and is still being produced both in the USA and in other countries under license (Italy, Japan).



The helicopter is currently operated in more than 20 states, in total over 900 pieces of equipment have been produced.

AgustaWestland AW101

The helicopter industry of European countries did not create equipment similar to American or Soviet. The most powerful machine AgustaWestland AW101 was developed by English and Italian designers in 1981. She managed to take to the skies in 1987, but due to funding failures and uncertainty about the number of copies required, serial production went only in 2000. It turns out that not only Soviet and Russian officials are "slowing down" - there are enough of them in Europe too. The impetus for the start of serial production was the interest in the project from other countries. Characteristics:

• ? propeller dimensions - 18,59 m
  
• ? length, height - 19,53 and 6,62 m
  
• ? weight - 10,5 tons (empty) and 14,6 tons (takeoff)
  
• ? number of passengers - 38 people or 45 standing soldiers
  
• ? load capacity - 3,05 tons inside or 5,52 and on the suspension
  
• ? engines - 2100 "horses" each
  
• ? top speed - 309 km / h
  
• ? range - 1130 km
  
• ? ceiling - 4575 m
  

The helicopter, as they say, "turned out." It even began to be produced under license in the United States.





The helicopter is exported to five countries, and, apart from the USA, is produced in Japan. Sometimes found under the name Merlin.

Prospects

According to Forecast forecasts, from 2016 to 2025, about 5 thousand heavy helicopters will roll off the assembly line in the world. Such data is due to the growth in the number of cars of this class from 2004 to 2013 by 4 times. The main customers are the military departments. In the future, according to analysts, Russia will remain the leader in terms of the number of produced devices, Sikorsky will be in second place and Boeing in third.