Celebrate Mother's Day with the Mother-Of-All Helicopters

"No, I don't thank you for the fish at all" (notindetroit) 05/11/2014 at 09:26 • Filed to: Planeopnik, helicopters, mi-26, halo, is the best bros game evah, and something about foxtrot alpha for good measure

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Dear America (or perhaps you prefer 'MURICA!),

It come to attention that you now have big helicopter, no? You say !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is big stronk helicopter! Give ridiculous name "King Stallion!" Made with very advanced carbon fiber with three big engine, make powerful stronk fuel hog embodiment of 'MURICA! Like your SUV with rotor on top, no? Silly 'MURICA! Mother Russia beat you at helicopter game long ago!

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You think of Halo, you think of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . In Mother Russia, Halo is mighty symbol of glorious helicopter achievement. How mighty and glorious? Try largest and most powerful helicopter in world! Look at Mighty Russia Halo pulling puny little capitalist twin-rotor!

In Soviet Russia, Helicopter not lift You, You Lift Helicopter! With Mighty Russia Helicopter! Look at Mighty Halo lift airliner as seen from good friend at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! And, uhh...ok, I better quit now before !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

The Soviets recognized the military advantages of helicopters early on, particularly for a helicopter large enough to carry things like the infamous Scud missile and the similar FROG-7 (that's Free-Range Over Ground, nothing to do with turning into a prince if you kiss it). At the same time, the helicopter can be used for resource exploitation in the vast expanses of Siberia. That necessarily resulted in a very large helicopter - large enough to immediately qualify as the largest in the world. In many cases, engineers would do a hard cost-benefit analysis, see what necessary compromises might need to be made, and come up with a design that might be able to do some of the drafted requirements some of the time or with heavy modification in order to avoid the complexities that come with a machine that can be labeled as the world's largest helicopter. In the late 1950s, the Soviets took a hard look at these requirements and said, of course we build largest helicopter! We Mother Russia!

Image credit "ShinePhantom" on Wikipedia

The Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant (the primary supplier of Soviet/Russian helicopters, then and now) came up with what was essentially a grossly enlarged version of their popular !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! medium-lift utility helicopter. Pictured above, it was called the Mi-6, with NATO assigning it the codename "Hook." As can be seen, it was fitted with stub wings which provided additional lift in forward flight, particularly important when at full load. It was widely exported and served in militaries all over South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. Egypt, Iraq, and potentially Laos, Indonesia and Vietnam all used them in combat. The Egyptian and Iraqi copters in particular showed the vulnerabilities of such a large beast on the frontlines before they could even get into the air; many Egyptian Army "Hooks" were caught and bombed on the ground by the Israeli Air Force in the opening days of the Six-Day War, and Iraqi "Hooks" suffered losses and operational attrition against the Islamic Iranian Air Force and Army before being finished off by Coalition forces in Desert Storm. Notwithstanding, the Mi-6 proved that size has its benefits and was a highly praised utility helicopter that did indeed find good use in Siberia. It consequently spawned a specialized variant, the Mi-10 (NATO code name "Harke") which featured a very interesting, "cut-down" fuselage (dumping dead weight for more payload) and tall landing gear for palletized loads slung neatly and snugly underneath the fuselague including whole shipping containers. A sub-variant specialized for the "flying crane" role, the Mi-10K, reduced the landing gear height and introduced an operator's station underneath the nose so that someone can see what was actually going on with that sling load.

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Image credit Sergey Krivchikov on Wikipedia

Both the "Hook" and "Harke" represented, at best, solidly 60s technology, and their heavy-lift titles were being encroached upon by Western designs, namely the Sikorsky S-80, known as the CH-53E Super Sea Stallion in military service. Eventually it was time to move on. In the interim Mil developed the truly monstrous !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , usually mistakenly called the "Mi-12" and given the NATO codename "Homer." The "Homer" was the largest helicopter ever made, using not one but two full-size Mi-6 rotors and was envisioned being able to carry strategic nuclear missiles. No production examples were made as it was deemed too big to be practical. In 1986 Mil rolled out the Mi-26, which was labeled the "Halo" by NATO. It's hardly an unfitting codename - though slower than many smaller (and later) helicopters, it's still capable of hitting around the 200 MPH mark. Moreover, it easily took back the heavy lift crown with a total capacity of over 20 tons and an internal volume said to be comparable to a C-130 Hercules. The Mi-26 can be fairly described as a "super-refined" Mi-6 leveraging off the V-12 program (if you squint, you can see a good bit of V-12 after a crash weight-loss program) and with the best updates and technology the Soviet Union can offer at the time, including an 8-blade main rotor which still remains unique in the manned helicopter world. The V-12 legacy also gives it a rather porpoise-shaped fuselage (apparently, its crews think it looks more like a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

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Flying the Mi-26 reveals the limitations of 80s Russian technology. It has no less than !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , twice more than any modern Western aircraft designer would ever dare dream of, and each one is wallpapered with "steam gauge" dials. The fancy computer screen Multi-Function Displays Western pilots are now accustomed to are few and far between. Then again, most Western pilots aren't accustomed to swallowing entire fully-loaded fuel tankers or eight-wheeled "Scud" missile launchers into the cargo hold either.

The first operational use of the Mi-26 came very shortly after its public reveal - they were used in emergency response and recovery operations over the Chernobyl disaster along with Mi-6s, including spraying radiation-neutralizing chemicals (you can see more at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! They've also been extensively used in UN operations where the super heavy-lift capability became an invaluable asset. Mi-26s have been exported all over the world including Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, and India. The Indian Army has become particularly fond of the Mi-26 and taking advantage of its raw power for extreme high altitude operations in the Himalayas, setting a number of records. The Indian Army is also one of the early adopters of the latest variant, the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , primarily identifiable from a spotlight added underneath the right pilot's station.

Despite its amazing capability, its sheer size and complexity can be very taxing. Reportedly, Peru and Mexico have removed their "Halos" from service, in the latter case having two out of their entire fleet of three helicopters crash. India !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . A Russian Mi-26 was !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , highlighting the vulnerability of such large helicopters in combat roles.

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Nonetheless, the Mi-26 remains an important staple of the Russian Army. No doubt as tensions increase between Ukraine and Russia, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! as appropriate symbols of Russian military might and power projection.

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Opening image credit Alex Beltyukov on Wikipedia

Brian Silvestro > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/11/2014 at 09:27

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That's a big fucking helicopter.

FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/11/2014 at 09:53

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uhhh....

unreal

dave.iuliano > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/11/2014 at 11:13

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No love for the Mil V-12?

JayHova > dave.iuliano 05/11/2014 at 11:37

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This is the equivalent to a 'yo mama's so fat' joke.

Viggen > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/11/2014 at 11:47

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Saw the one in the video when I was in Afghanistan. Amazing how much those blades crown when it takes off.

Its size really doesn't make it a viable option for transport in a combat zone though. Also can't believe it only has a single hook for sling loads. Chinooks have three.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/11/2014 at 12:46

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Intrepidman > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/11/2014 at 13:00

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Frank Grimes > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/11/2014 at 13:17

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Someones compensating with their bro-copter.

special_k_side > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/11/2014 at 13:23

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LOL, I started laughing at the first part of the post, then enjoyed the rest totally! Nice one! Don't forget, 'Mercuhs pioneer helicopter designer was a Ukrainian... Who left in 1919 for a great career in America.

buhahah > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/11/2014 at 13:29

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That infamous Mazda grin!

joelja > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/11/2014 at 13:45

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Of course it has the same failure modalities as a regular helicopter only with greater consequences.

bubblestheturtle > Frank Grimes 05/11/2014 at 13:48

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The only solution to morning traffic.

anonamous666 > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/11/2014 at 14:39

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Why is it that Russians seem to equate biggest with best? Are they from Texas?

Yarrrmatey > Frank Grimes 05/11/2014 at 15:15

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He appears to have forgotten pants. Experimental aircraft excite me too, but possibly not that much.

Yarrrmatey > anonamous666 05/11/2014 at 15:17

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I would say the Russians have been doing "bigger is better" far longer than Texas - maybe Texans are from Russia?

Cé hé sin > anonamous666 05/11/2014 at 15:47

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No, from somewhere much, much bigger.

killerbass > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/11/2014 at 15:50

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Back in my hometown (Rostov-on-Don) I lived near the factory where these helis were produced. As a child I loved watching those huge things go on a test flights right above our house. The sound of a big heli still brings back my childhood memories today.

Cé hé sin > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 05/11/2014 at 15:50

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The Rotodyne wasn't strictly a helicopter of course but nonetheless a good idea whose time never came.

ORANGE! > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/11/2014 at 16:22

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I love my job!! Wheeeeeee!!!

Fl1ngstam > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/11/2014 at 16:33

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If you'd like to get up close with a Halo, a Hook and a Harke (in addition to a Hind, a Hip and other H's, Sukhois and MiGs), I can recommend the Avtovaz Technical Museum in Togliatti.

Opposite Locknikski

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Cé hé sin 05/11/2014 at 17:25

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Except perhaps for the rotor-tip jets that broke pretty much every noise ordnance ever.

psychocandy > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/11/2014 at 17:58

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But can it Jaeger?

http://www.wired.com/2013/07/how-wo…

un-hipster > special_k_side 05/11/2014 at 18:43

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I couldn't help reading it in Boris and Natasha's voice :)

NinetyQ > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/11/2014 at 20:33

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I thought this was the mother of all helicopters.

dr861 > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/11/2014 at 22:41

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What about this one: MIL V-12

timmy4g63fast > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/11/2014 at 22:50

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The Mi26 is Great its huge and lifts a lot butttt since they cant produce enough parts to keep the things in the air its not really a viable option. Also with a airframe that has a life limit on it every time it flys is brings the helicopter closer to its retirement. S64 America Fk yeah!

timmy4g63fast > timmy4g63fast 05/11/2014 at 22:52

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edit: wish i could figure out how to delete this.

captain_spleen > Yarrrmatey 05/11/2014 at 22:55

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It's a dongcopter. He can't wear pants.

timmy4g63fast > Intrepidman 05/11/2014 at 23:24

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that does not seem like enough tail rotor for the torque of the mains lol

Cé hé sin > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 05/12/2014 at 04:41

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Its proponents argued that the noise was only during the couple of minutes for each flight when the craft was landing or taking off and that the noise had been substantially reduced as compared to the original design. Its opponents presumably argued that you could say that about any plane.

Nobody's tried it since which is probably significant!

Beagle5 > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 05/12/2014 at 06:32

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one of these flew over my home many years ago. I live in sweden so it wasnt a sight seen before or after. It was used building a very large train bridge in the southern part of stockholm. Wish I would have gone and watched it work! :)

McMike > FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 05/12/2014 at 07:32

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I feel like that whenever I park next to a Countryman.

special_k_side > un-hipster 05/12/2014 at 10:07

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Oh, classic.........read it again that way, way funny! :)

Zach > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 06/21/2014 at 21:30

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The Fairey Rotodyne was by far the loudest helicopter ever made, was "deafening" from over 5 miles away!

BodhiZafa > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 06/23/2014 at 11:26

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A friend of mine rode on one of those while he was stationed in Afghanistan. Here is how he described the experience, "Now I'm in Kandahar just waiting for my flight back to Manas and then the states. Our flight here was interesting, we came by contract helicopter. So instead of being in a US bird we flew in a Russian MI 26. By far the smoothest helo I have ever been in. You could barely tell we lifted off and the whole flight was very smooth. "

Lcon > FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 06/23/2014 at 21:52

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The Tail Rotor on the Mi26 is actually the Same Dimensions and Specs as the Main Rotor on a American MD500 light helicopter

MmmmSprinkles > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 06/25/2014 at 11:33

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Transporting a helicopter with a helicopter seems kind of redundant.