Greatest marvels of the sky: Top 7 powerful heavy-lift helicopters, Mil Mi-26 is on top of the List
With raw power and sky-high muscle world's heavy-lift helicopters are some airborne machines that continue to defy gravity. From Russia’s legendary Mil Mi-26 to the cutting-edge Sikorsky CH-53K, here’s a look at the top 7 heavy-lift helicopters ranked by maximum takeoff weight.
Mil Mi-26
Mil Mi-26 is the world’s largest series-built helicopter with a weight of up to weight of 56,000 kg. It is the world's most powerful helicopter in terms of lifting capacity, and can lift 20,000 kg. The Russian-made helicopter was codenamed HALO by NATO. It has a height equivalent of a three-storey building. With a maximum speed of 295 km/h, it consumes 9 litres of fuel per second.
Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion
It is a US heavy-lift helicopter developed by Lockheed Martin. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 38,600 kg and can lift up to 16,329 kg externally. It can fly at a speed of 370 km/h, can make 60-degree-angle bank turns; can climb to 18,500 feet above sea level; conduct 12-degree slope landings and takeoffs; and can auto-jettison external loads, and survive gunfire.
Mil Mi-10
Mil Mi-10or Harake has a maximum takeoff weight of 28,200 kg and can lift up to 12,000 kg externally. It can carry a maximum of 28 passengers and achieve a maximum speed of 335 km/h. These can be both short-legged and long-legged. While most versions had been retired by 2009, the short-legged Mi-10K was still in service as of 2014.
Boeing CH-47F Chinook
The helicopter has a maximum takeoff weight of 22,680 kg and can lift up to 9,000 kg externally. Operated by the US Army and 20 international operators, and can fly at up to 20,000 feet at a speed of 302 km/h.
Kamov Ka-32
The Russian-built helicopter has a maximum takeoff weight of 11,000 kg and can lift up to 7,000 kg externally. Kamov Ka-32, a Russian-built rotorcraft, is the mid-1980s civilian counterpart to the Russian military’s Ka-27 and was used for transport (Ka-32T) or shipboard utility and ice reconnaissance (Ka-32S).
Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane
Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane is an American twin-engine heavy-lift helicopter. It is the civilian version of the United States Army's CH-54 Tarhe. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 21,772 kg and can lift up to 9,071 kg externally
Mil Mi-6
The Russian heavy transport helicopter has a maximum takeoff weight of 42,000 kg and can lift 12,000 kg externally. It has a maximum speed of 300 km/h and requires at least 6 pilots to fly.
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