15 BIGGEST Helicopters Ever Produced

from helicopters that can liftt entire tanks to aircraft so massive they dwarf buildings these are the top 15 biggest helicopters ever produced number 15 the Sikorski uh60 Blackhawk so probably one of the most well-known military helicopters of all the sakori uh60 which is more commonly known as the Blackhawk began being developed in the 1970s to meet the US Army's need for a new generation of Transport helicopters designed to have a balance between capability a agility and ease of transport it has an overall length of 64 ft and a main rotor diameter of 53 ft which gives it a pretty powerful lift allowing it to operate effectively in a wide range of different environments its fuselage not including the rotors is around 50 ft long it's about 12 ft tall making it just possible to be carried on a large aircraft like the c17 globe Master 3 with this size the cabin of the uh60 is large enough to carry up to 11 fully equipped troops a decent amount of cargo or medical stretchers during evacuation missions it's also able to lift cargo externally with a cargo hook which is mounted beneath the helicopter's fuselage by doing this the helicopter can carry an external load weighing up to 9,000 lb or just over 4,000 kg which means it's able to transport various pieces of large equipment too even when doing this the uh60 is able to navigate in environments with limited space such as dense urban areas and its compact height makes it easier to land in confined spaces like clearings or narrow streets so it's no wonder that it's become such a Workhorse for the military since its introduction number 14 the cam off ka27 ah the cam off ka27 which is also known by its NATO name the Helix it's a Soviet designed military helicopter that was developed by the camoff design Bureau in the late 1970s it was specifically created for anti-submarine Warfare search and rescue missions and Maritime reconnaissance it's around 37 ft or about 11 M long and 17 ft or about 5 1/2 M tall while being a large and Powerful Chopper this size allows it to operate from the decks of ships including frigs and destroyers now the most unusual thing about the design though is the thing that makes it truly suited to operating over the water its rotor system unlike most other helicopters the ka27 has a coaxial rotor Arrangement which means that it has two sets of rotors that are mounted one above the other on the same axis but is rotating in opposite directions each rotor has a diameter of around 52 ft or about 16 m this gives it powerful lift capability without needing a tail rotor for anti-submarine Missions though it's equipped with sonar systems magnetic anomaly detectors and Sono buoys it's got a winch system for hoisting survivors during search and rescue operations and it's got a maximum takeoff weight of around 26,000 lb or just over 12,000 kilos it is an effective mediumweight helicopter that's capable of carrying crew anti-submarine Weaponry like Torpedoes and a range of equipment for its specialized roles and adapt it to operation needs with little notice thanks to its layout to make efficient use of every bit of space within the fuselage number 13 the NH Industries nh90 the nh90 is described as being a modern medium-sized multi-roll helicopter that was designed to meet the needs of several NATO member states it was developed for military and Maritime uses by NH Industries which is a Consortium made up of Airbus helicopters Leonardo helicopters and aerow structures and since its introduction in 200 7 it's become a favorite for a number of military forces around the world the nh90 comes in two main variants the Tactical transport helicopter for landbased operations and the NATO frigate helicopter for maritime missions each having been optimized for the conditions they'll likely operate in its size was designed to strike a balance between operational capacity and versatility so the helicopter has an overall length of about 62 ft or just under 20 M which puts it in the medium lift category the four bladed main rotor has a diameter of 53 ft or about 16. 3 M which is more than enough for the nh90 to generate plenty of lift the cabin here is adaptable allowing for different configurations depending on the mission including space for special force Operations Command and control roles or even logistic support it's got a maximum takeoff weight of around 23,000 lb or about 10,500 kilos and it can carry external loads of up to 8,800 lb or 4,000 kilos even when full its twin Rolls-Royce turbo meca RTM 322 engine provides it with brilliant performance including a top speed of around 190 M or 300 kmph the nh90s flexibility now has made it particularly attractive to countries looking for a modern helicopter that can be used across a range of military applications number 12 the Boeing veral ch46 cite ah the ch46 cite it's a medium lift tandem rotor helicopter that was originally developed in the 1960s for the Marine Corps and navy it was designed by going verto and soon it became a vital part of military Ops with roles including troop transport cargo resupply and search and rescue missions the model now has been fully retired but in many ways it showed how effective a military helicopter could be and it paved the way for the more advanced designs that are used today the ch46 is built with two counter rotating rotors one in the front and the other in the rear this design is a feature that was included to improve its stability and performance with the rotor blades turning the cite is around 84t ft or 25. 7 M long which is a large footprint when operational but one that's still suited to shipboard storage and operations which is vital for its use the rotor system is made up of those two three-bladed rotors each with a diameter of over 51 ft or about 15 1/2 meters as well as providing that powerful lift this removes the need for a tail rotor which allows for a shorter fuselage design than it would be possible with just one rotor this doesn't mean it short on Space though has a cabin that can carry up to 20 25 fully equipped troops or 15 stretchers the rear of the fuselage also incorporates a loading ramp that can be used for the rapid loading and unloading of cargo and Personnel it's got a maximum takeoff weight of around 24,000 lb or 11,000 kilos with options to carry payloads internally or bulkier ones externally for this it's got an inbuilt cargo hook beneath the fuselage that can lift loads of up to 10,000 lb the GE turboshaft engines provide Power to achieve a cruising speed of 166 mph across a range of up to 690 Mi or just over 1100 km making this a hugely useful asset for the more than 50 years that it was in service number 11 the Eurocopter ec725 the Eurocopter ec725 is a long range tactical transport helicopter that was introduced in 2005 by Eurocopter which is now known as Airbus helicopters 725 was developed as an upgraded version of the as532 cougar with enhanced performance Advanced avionics and its larger cabin it became a popular choice for military forces around the world thanks to its use in roles such as combat search and rescue troop transport medical Evac and even Special Operation support its overall length is 64 ft or about 19 1 12 M with the rotor system fully extended and the main rotor itself has a diameter of around 51 ft or about 15.

6 M its maximum takeoff weight is about 24,700 lb or 11,200 kilos and is powered by two turbo Meer m Kila 2 A1 turboshaft engines which allow it to reach a maximum speed of about 2011 mph it also has a combat radius of up to 660 nautical miles or 1200 km meaning it's ideal also for long-range missions it's designed with a large cabin that offers a great amount of space for passengers cargo or specialized Mission equipment cabin is 11 ft 10 in or 3. 6 M long with a width of 6'8 in or just over 2 m and a height of 4' 10 in or 1. 47 M this means there room for up to 29 troops 12 stretchers or a significant amount of cargo it's this along with the power that it's meant that along with military missions the ec725 has proven to be effective for humanitarian and disaster relief efforts and it's now often used as a quick response for natural disasters and rapidly developing situations number 10 the Augusta Westland aw101 the aw101 which is called the Merlin was developed as a joint effort between Augusta and white helicopters and was introduced in the late 1990s as a multi-roll aircraft measuring 64 ft or 19.

5 M long not including the rotor blades and with a main rotor diameter of 61 ft or about 18 1/2 m a helicopter is about 22 ft or 6. 6 M tall and is one of the largest in its class 6' 6 in or 2 m wide and 6 ft or 1. 83 M tall which provides space for up to 30 fully equipped troops 16 stretchers or a large cargo load it's powered by three Rolls-Royce turbo meca RTM 322 turbo shaft engines which each provide around 2300 horsepower it allows the helicopter to reach a cruising speed of 172 M or 278 kmph with a maximum range of around 863 mes or 1390 km importantly the three engine configuration provides a redundancy for safety in case one fails but it also to add to the helicopter's ability to lift large loads while maintaining performance in all the maximum take gol weight is around 34,000 lb or 15,600 kg and it's able to lift up to 12,000 lb or 5400 kilos as an external load using the cargo hook one of the main roles that the aw101 has been in use for is its anti-submarine Warfare and this shows just how versatile it can be for this the helicopter is equipped with Advanced sonar systems Sono buoys and Torpedoes and its cabin allows for the installation of sophisticated Mission equipment it can carry a substantial amount of medical and rescue equipment and its large cabin ensures that there's plenty of room for people to be brought on board by the powerful winch system which can make all the difference in time critical scenarios number nine the Bell Boeing v22 Osprey all right I love this one the v22 Osprey is a unique aircraft that combines the vertical lift capability of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed wi plane it's what's known as a tilt rotor aircraft and it was developed as a joint project by Bell Helicopter and Boeing to meet a specific need for the United States military it's 57 ft or 17 1/2 M long with a wingspan of 84 ft or about 25.

8 M with the rotors fully extended depending on the configuration it can be up to 22 ft or about 6. 7 M tall which makes the Osprey pretty large compared to traditional helicopters the large prop rotors of this thing each with a diameter of 38 ft or 11. 6 M can be tilted vertically for takeoff and Landing like a helicopter and then rotated forward for horizontal flight like a turbo prop plane this capability gives the Osprey a distinct advantage over traditional helicopters and fixed wingcraft as it can take off and land in confined spaces while also flying at speeds of 277 Mi or 440 km per hour which is much faster than conventional Choppers it's got a maximum takeoff weight of about 60,000 lb or 27,000 kilos for short takeoff and Landing operations and around 52,000 lb or 23,000 kilos for vertical takeoff and Landing the craft can also carry an external load of up to 10,000 lb which allows it to transport heavy equipment and supplies to forward operating bases or disaster zones number eight the Sikorski s92 the s92 was developed by Sikorski aircraft which is part of Lockheed Martin and it was first introduced in the early 2000s it's 56 ft or 17.

1 M long not including the rotors and it's around 15 F9 in or 4. 8 M tall now these Dimensions did mean it's classed as a medium lift chopper with a balance between interior space for cargo and passengers its size makes it a choice for offshore oil and gas Industries as it can transport workers between onshore bases and Offshore platforms the spacious interior here is designed to transport up to 19 passengers comfortably depending on the seating configuration and in a VIP or executive transport version the interior can be customized to provide luxury accommodations at the rear of the cabin there's a large clamshell door which provides easy access for loading and unloading which is something that's especially useful for search and rescue Ops the rotor system on the s92 features a four-bladed main rotor and a four-bladed tail rotor the main rotor is made from Composite Materials which are both lightweight and durable and its large diameter provides powerful lift allowing the chopper to carry payloads while remaining stable in all the helicopter has a maximum gross weight of around 26,500 lb or about 12,000 kilos which makes it suitable for various roles from troop transport to moving heavy equipment or conducting rescue missions this Chopper also uses sori's active vibration control system which reduces vibrations throughout the cabin and makes for a smoother ride for passengers and crew moving on to number seven the sakori s64 sky crane helicopters are often designed to be useful for a number of different purposes but the sakori s64 was made to really do one thing extremely well also known as the sky crane it's a powerful heavy lift Chopper that can handle particularly heavy and bulky loads it was Orin originally developed in the 1960s by Sikorski the s64 was based on the idea of creating a helicopter that could act as an Airborne Crane and able to lift or transport large cargo it's one of the most easily recognizable helicopters too thanks to its unusual shape with an overall length of 88 ft or 26. 8 M it's got a rotor system that's made up of six blades and has a total diameter of 72 ft or 21.

9 M this gives the helicopter phenomenal lifting ability it doesn't even have a normal fuel usage and instead it's an open framework that's specifically designed to allow for maximum load carrying the structural design makes the sky crane very different from other helicopters as it can operate in situations where other aircraft can't due to weight or size limitations the sky crane has an impressive maximum lift capacity of around 20,000 lb or 9,000 kg in construction the sky crane has been used to transport and place heavy equipment like HVAC units on top of tall buildings which would be far more challenging and costly with groundbased cranes for logging it's used to lift large logs from remote areas reducing the need for constructing roads in environmentally sensitive regions the aircraft's equipped with a sophisticated Precision Lift system that allows the crew to maneuver heavy loads with accuracy and this truly comes into its own on the helicopter's firefighting configuration known as the H tanker where it's able to carry up to 2600 gallons over 10,000 L of water or fire retardant its open design also allows for the attachment of modular cargo pods or specialized equipment beneath the frame these pods can serve as command centers or medical evacuation compartments which means that the Chopper's function can be changed in an instant number six the mill MI6 the MI6 which is also known as the hook it's a Soviet heavy lift helicopter that was developed by the mil Moscow helicopter plant the first one flew in 1957 and after being introduced into service in 1962 the model became the world's largest at the time and it was also the first production helicopter to be equipped with a turbo shaft engine measuring 108 ft or 33 M long the MI6 is a massive helicopter especially when compared to others from its era the main rotor has a diameter of 114 ft or 35 M which was groundbreaking at the time of its development its fuselage was designed to provide plenty of space for both troops and cargo with a cabin measuring 39 ft or about 12 M long 8' 9 in or 2. 7 M wide and 7' 10 in or 2. 4 4 M high this means it had room for up to 90 fully equipped troops or alternatively up to 26,000 lb or 12,000 kilos of cargo such a large vehicle obviously needs some real power behind it and the MI6 has two d25 V turbo shaft engines each producing over 5,500 horsepower with a maximum speed of around 186 M or 300 kmph this powerful engine combined with a large rotor system allowed the MI6 to carry heavy payloads while maintaining a reasonable speed one of the other things about its design that made it so useful was its four-wheel landing gear which was designed to handle rough and uneven terrain while it was originally intended for military use its wider benefits soon became clear in military settings it was used for troop transports Logistics and even Airborne command posts and it proved to be particularly useful deploying large numbers of personnel or heavy equipment in civilian roles on the other hand the MI6 was used for construction projects especially in remote areas like Siberia it's a ility to carry large pre-fabricated components made it ideal for construction of power lines pipelines and other infrastructure projects as well as for disaster relief number five the Boeing ch47 shinook and this is probably the most famous and recognizable helicopter of all the Boeing ch47 shinook was first introduced in the early 1960s over the years it's become a vital asset for military forces around the world with at least 20 different countries currently operating them the shano is 98 ft 10 in or 30.

1 M long and has the tandem rotor design which features two large three-bladed rotors the distance between the centers of the two rotor systems is roughly 60 ft or about 18. 3 M and this allows each aircraft to maintain incredible stability and provide an extremely powerful lift it's about 18 ft 11 in or 5. 7 M tall at the top of the rotor Mast making it significantly taller than many other helicopters this further adds to the Chinook's ability to handle larger loads some something that's important for logistical and construction tasks inside the cargo compartment of the shinook is 30 ft or 9.

1 M long and 7' 6 in or 2. 3 M wide this provides space for up to 33 fully equipped troops or 24 stretchers there's a large ramp at the back for a quick loading and unloading of equipment vehicles and troops and the ramp can be lowered during flight to allow cargo to be air dropped it's got a maximum gross weight of around 50,000 lb or about 22,000 kilos which is huge compared to most helicopters this allows it to carry heavy payloads internally or sling loaded externally and it's able to carry up to 22,000 lb or 10,000 kilos externally and makes it a useful tool for transporting heavy equipment unlike traditional single rotor helicopters which require a tail rotor to counteract the torque produced by the main rotor the shino's two rotors rotate in opposite directions so they cancel each other's torque this design reduces the amount of power needed for stabilization and allows more power to be directed to lift and propulsion surprisingly even as a heavy lift helicopter the Sha can reach speeds of up to 196 M or 315 kmph which makes it one of the fastest of its kind in service the speed Advantage allows it to quickly transport troops and supplies providing a tactical benefit in military operations number four the mil Mi 10 the mil Mi 10 is a Soviet heavy lift helicopter that was designed and produced by the mil Moscow helicopter plant first introduced in the early 1960s it was based on the successful mil MI6 but specifically engineered as a flying crane with the ability to carry large payloads and unusual cargo measuring 104 ft or 31. 3 M long including the rotor system it's simply huge and as a result it can easily stabiliz and carry heavy and oversized loads the landing gear was engineered specifically for this heavy lifting role and it's essentially four tall spindly landing gear struts that give it a walking crane appearance these struts raise the fuselage High off the ground and allowing for its oversized loads to be positioned directly underneath this is crucial for the role in carrying bulky cargo such as prefabricated buildings heavy machinery or even other helicopters as the helicopter was primarily designed for heavy lifting of cargo outside of the cabin the cabin itself is really just there for the crew and essential equipment rather than passengers or cargo the helicopter though can carry up to 33,000 lb or 15,000 kilos of cargo on its external platform it's powered by two saloia d25 V turbo shaft engines each producing over 5,500 horsepower Mi 10 has a cruising speed of around 120 Mi or 190 km per hour and a range of up to 310 M or 500 km when carrying a standard load the Mi 10K features a secondary pilot station in a gondola underneath the helicopter which allows a better view of the cargo during complex loading operations this modification was included for civil engineering and construction projects where Precision was crucial for placing heavy components onon number three the sakori CH 53k King Stallion the King Stallion is a heavy lift Cargo Helicopter that was developed by Sikorski aircraft for the United States Marine Corp as an evolution of the earlier ch-53 series the K variant was designed with Advanced Tech enhanced lifting capabilities and modern avionics making it by far the most powerful helicopter in the US military's inventory with an overall length of 99 ft or about 30 m this extended size May makes room for its large cabin and provides space for the powerful triple engine configuration that gives the helicopter its capability the King Stallion features a seven-bladed main rotor with a diameter of 79 ft or 24 M which contributes to its lifting power meaning the helicopter can operate in remote environments where traditional infrastructure is unavailable which is crucial for expeditionary military operations the helicopter's cargo bay is 30 ft or 9.

1 M long 9 ft or 2. 7 M wide and 6 and2 ft or 1. 9 M tall this allows it to carry up to 55 troops or a range of oversized cargo and it's designed to be adaptable so the seating space can be quickly reconfigured amazingly the King Stallion has a maximum external lift capacity of 36,000 lb or 16,000 kg meaning it can carry heavy loads like Humvees light armored vehicles and artillery pieces also impressive are the three G t408 turboshaft engines which each provide over 7500 horsepower with a total of 20 22,500 horses this power combined with the helicopter's large rotor allows it to lift more at high altitudes and in hot conditions and with a cruising speed of around 196 or 315 kmph number two the mil Mi 26 the Mi 26 also known as Halo is the largest and most powerful helicopter to have ever gone into serial production developed by the mil Moscow helicopter plant it was designed to meet the Soviet Union's demand for a heavy lift helicopter and did this so well that it's often compared to fixed wi cargo aircraft because of its size and capability measuring 131 ft or 40 m long the rotor system has eight blades with a rotor diameter of 105 ft or 32 M which allows it to transport extremely heavy loads the cargo bay is capable of holding up to 20 tons which include a wide range of loads from military vehicles to construction equipment it is designed to carry cargo that would otherwise require the use of fixed transport craft and can even hold standard shipping containers meaning it's a valued tool for military logistics humanitarian Aid and Industrial operations the helicopter also has a dedicated crane system built into the cargo compartment which is capable of lifting loads weighing several tons and is particularly useful when places when Ground support's not available it also has an external cargo hook which allows it to sling load cargo that can't fit inside and this external load capability can reach up to 44,000 lb or 20,000 kilos when needed of course with such large loads the Mi 26 needs a huge amount of power and this comes from two lador rev d136 turboshaft engines which can each generate 11,000 horsepower the combined power output of these engines gives the helicopter a capability to lift and transport extremely heavy loads while maintaining a cruising speed of 158 Mi or 255 kmph and to even reach altitudes of up to 15,000 ft or 4.