Celestial Atlas Mi-26

The Late sixties was a time of most rapid development of Soviet heavy transport aircraft. This process was driven by the existing military doctrine and the needs of the national economy. As it turned out later, the need for such heavy transport vehicles exists today, and not only in Russia but also in other countries on almost all continents.

The Mi-26 was originally conceived as a deeply modernized version of the proven and very good helicopters Mi-6, but in the process of developing the engineers of the design Bureau of the Mil, it became clear that to perform all of the terms of reference will have to develop a completely new aircraft.

Experience in the construction “flying crane" KB already had on his account were such masterpieces of world aviation as the Mi-12, Mi-8, Mi-10 and the already mentioned Mi-6. Now had to exceed his own level.

The large variety of schemes, of KB. Mile and General designer Smirnov stopped for a traditional single-rotor. Approval of preliminary design was held in late 1971.

Simultaneously with the start of design work on the helicopter and began the development of the turboshaft engine. They were engaged in CB «Progress», and the power of each of the two provided by the scheme of the Mi-26 engines were to exceed 11 thousand horsepower.

That kind of strength needed and special gear units for which aviationweek, contrary to tradition, came from yourself. The operation of the entire power plant is controlled automatically stabilizing system of revolutions of the screw and sync power.

To facilitate the 32-metre vasilopeta rotor helicopter Mi-26 it is made of metal, and the bushing – of titanium. The tail rotor got fibreglass blades. The result of all these efforts was relatively small weight of the huge machine, it corresponded to the mass of the Mi-6 if the volume of the cargo compartment and load capacity twice larger than him.

The Intakes are protected from dust, and the operation and ground handling as easy as possible, in particular, the tail boom was equipped with a special pass in order to equipment, if necessary, could produce work without disassembly of the hull.

The First prototype of the Mi-26 came off the stocks to a cost center in the town Punks in the autumn of 1977, and in December it rose into the air, to start on three minutes. The first long flight two months later was successful.

At the international aerospace salon in Le Bourget 1981, the Mi-26 made a splash. It was the largest helicopter in the world, and its design was so ahead of its time that it remains today. The giant capacity is 20 tons.

The heavy in the literal sense, and sometimes dangerous work is delegated to these machines. They had to dissect the radioactive air of Chernobyl, under fire to evacuate refugees from the burning Karabakh, to swim in the hot Afghan air. Not over him, and Tajikistan, and Chechnya, and Yugoslavia, and Cambodia. Painted white with the letters "UN" on Board the Mi-26 had been in other hot spots: Burundi, Somalia, East Timor.

This giant has always performed a unique rescue and transport work. If a plane or helicopter makes emergency landing for delivery to the repair place cause Mi-26. A photo, which he carries under an American "Chinook" bomber “Boston” during the war or hydroplane be-12, always of interest, because this cannot be done by any rotary-wing aircraft in the world.