The Mil Mi-26 (NATO reporting name Halo) is a heavy transport helicopter of Russian origin that has seen considerable use in both civil and military contexts.

The Mi-26 is a product of the legendary OKB-329 design bureau, better known to the world as Mil Helicopters. Under the patronage of Mikhail Mil the Mi-26 was designed by Marat Tischenko, who was also Mil’s successor as chief designer at OKB-329 in 1970.

The Mi-26 exists today thanks to the need for heavy cargo transport into places that cargo planes simply cannot go. At the time there were no helicopters that could compete with cargo planes such as the highly versatile C-130 Hercules made by Lockheed. The ambitious primary design goal of the Mi-26 was to double the payload capacity of contemporary transport helicopters. Expanding the range of roles aircraft could fill significantly.

The Mi-26 uses a twin-turbine configuration and is the largest helicopter to ever go into series production. The load carrying capacity of this aircraft matches that of the domestic C-130 Hercules variant. The cargo area is large enough to accommodate two 10-ton combat vehicles or 80 combat-equipped troops.

There is no retractable landing gear, instead a tricycle-type system with steerable nose wheel is employed.

A crew of four is all that is needed to operate the Mi-26: a pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and navigator. The crew are also the only ones to enjoy a pressurized cabin.

The Mi-26 is remarkable for being the first ever helicopter to use an eight-bladed rotor. This impressive 32m diameter rotor system is necessary to get the massive payload airborne, as well as to make the most of the two 10 000 shaft horsepower ZMKB Progress D-136 turbo shaft engines.

The Mi-26 first saw public attention in 1981 at the Paris Air Show, a scant four years since the first prototype flew in 1977. By 1982 the Mi-26 had entered military service, but these units were not fully operational until 1983. Today nearly twenty nations have purchased Mi-26 helicopters for both civil and military applications. They’ve seen action in Afghanistan and were critical during the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, where models specially modified by Tischenko himself aided in containing the situation.

The Mi-26 is surprisingly cost-effective, given its capabilities, and ranges between $10m and $12m in price.

• Pod and boom design
• Fan-cooled, non-planetary, split-torque design gearbox
• Titanium main and tail rotor heads
• All-metal semi-monocoque fuselage
• Non-retractable tricycle landing gear and retractable tailskid at end of tailboom

The Mil Mi-26 (NATO reporting name Halo) is a heavy transport helicopter of Russian origin that has seen considerable use in both civil and military contexts.

The Mi-26 is a product of the legendary OKB-329 design bureau, better known to the world as Mil Helicopters. Under the patronage of Mikhail Mil the Mi-26 was designed by Marat Tischenko, who was also Mil’s successor as chief designer at OKB-329 in 1970.

The Mi-26 exists today thanks to the need for heavy cargo transport into places that cargo planes simply cannot go. At the time there were no helicopters that could compete with cargo planes such as the highly versatile C-130 Hercules made by Lockheed. The ambitious primary design goal of the Mi-26 was to double the payload capacity of contemporary transport helicopters. Expanding the range of roles aircraft could fill significantly.

The Mi-26 uses a twin-turbine configuration and is the largest helicopter to ever go into series production. The load carrying capacity of this aircraft matches that of the domestic C-130 Hercules variant. The cargo area is large enough to accommodate two 10-ton combat vehicles or 80 combat-equipped troops.

There is no retractable landing gear, instead a tricycle-type system with steerable nose wheel is employed.

A crew of four is all that is needed to operate the Mi-26: a pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and navigator. The crew are also the only ones to enjoy a pressurized cabin.

The Mi-26 is remarkable for being the first ever helicopter to use an eight-bladed rotor. This impressive 32m diameter rotor system is necessary to get the massive payload airborne, as well as to make the most of the two 10 000 shaft horsepower ZMKB Progress D-136 turbo shaft engines.

The Mi-26 first saw public attention in 1981 at the Paris Air Show, a scant four years since the first prototype flew in 1977. By 1982 the Mi-26 had entered military service, but these units were not fully operational until 1983. Today nearly twenty nations have purchased Mi-26 helicopters for both civil and military applications. They’ve seen action in Afghanistan and were critical during the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, where models specially modified by Tischenko himself aided in containing the situation.

The Mi-26 is surprisingly cost-effective, given its capabilities, and ranges between $10m and $12m in price.

• Pod and boom design
• Fan-cooled, non-planetary, split-torque design gearbox
• Titanium main and tail rotor heads
• All-metal semi-monocoque fuselage
• Non-retractable tricycle landing gear and retractable tailskid at end of tailboom