Russia’s Mi-26 is considered a real monster with a length of up to 40m, the largest helicopter in the world today.
Mi-26’s huge size makes it capable of transporting trucks, tanks, commercial planes, helicopters or even polar bears with ease. Mi-26 can also carry nearly 90 paratroopers or 60 wounded soldiers, even in many cases up to 100. Mi-26 interior compartment can hold up to 20 tons of cargo chemical.
The Mi-26 first appeared in 1984, in Afghanistan to carry out the mission of transporting combat equipment, evacuating the wounded from the battlefield and salvaging damaged Mi-8 helicopters.
In 2002, Mi-26 flew into the skies of Afghanistan again to evacuate two damaged AS532 Cougar and MH-47E Chinook helicopters in the mountains.
This iconic Russian military helicopter can easily carry light tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.
In 2009, residents of St. Petersburg were shocked to see a Mi-26 carrying a Tu-134 aircraft from Pulkovo airport to the EMERCOM training area.
But this giant helicopter is not only used in the military, but it is also used in the industrial field such as carrying construction materials, even used to fight fires or rescue a polar bear that has been injured. lost mother. But perhaps the most impressive Mi-26 is when it comes to carrying a frozen mammoth carcass weighing up to 20 tons.
However, in 2002, the world’s largest helicopter Mi-26 was also shot down, killing 127 people on board during the Second Chechen War in the North Caucasus.
Some impressive images of the world’s largest helicopter model named Mi-26:
