The heyday of the era of attack helicopters fell on the second half of the twentieth century.
These formidable, heavily armed machines can effectively fight tanks, cover infantry with
fire, destroy field fortifications, conduct reconnaissance and surveillance, and hunt
the enemy day and night. In the 21st century, they were somewhat supplanted by combat drones,
however, not a single armed conflict can do without army aviation. What are the most successful
military helicopters today? Find out in our video! We have collected information for you
about the main bladed "death machines", which to this day can be seen in reports from "hot
spots" and at exhibitions of the best examples of military equipment! They will definitely
surprise you! Wait for the end of the video, and you will find out what lightning speed
the helicopter, which will soon see the world, managed to reach!
The most legendary is Mi-8 Mi-8, and nothing needs to be added. No developer,
no manufacturer, no indexes need to be mentioned. And so, everything is clear - the Mi-8 is
the Mi-8. This is the most legendary helicopter in the world. A true masterpiece was created
in 1961 under Mikhail Leontyevich Mil. Several masterpieces were created in the design bureau,
including the Mi-12, which set the world record for carrying capacity that has not been broken
so far - 40 tons at an altitude of 7217 ft. But the Mi-8 is the most legendary. It is
widely used in more than 50 countries around the world for a variety of civil and military
tasks. Mi-8 is a true hard worker, a reliable worker in the civil and military service.
Over the entire production period, more than 12,000 Mi-8s have been produced. Also, it
is a world record among twin-engine helicopters. Although the helicopter was created more than
half a century ago, it is still in demand, attracting buyers from all regions of the
world. In total, there are three dozen military and civilian modifications. They operate it
as a reconnaissance helicopter, mine layer, tanker, air command post and ambulance helicopter.
The Mi-8 helicopter has a high degree of versatility and can withstand the conditions of both frosty
Siberia and the sultry Sahara. There is nothing to replace the legendary helicopter with yet.
The most common is the Mi-24 The Soviet Mi-24 and its numerous modifications
are the most massive attack helicopter in the world. In total, since the 1970s, more
than 3.5 thousand "crocodiles" have been built - this is how the troops called these machines
for their characteristic predatory profile. Today, various versions of the Mi-24 are in
service with more than 60 countries; they have taken part in dozens of wars and conflicts
around the world. And it's hard to say when the Crocodile, which first took to the air
in 1969, will retire. Certainly not soon. The visiting card of the Mi-24 is its amazing
reliability and maintainability. In Afghanistan, there were frequent cases when pilots and
technicians restored a damaged helicopter in battle on their own, almost on their knees.
The second feature of the "Crocodile" is its weapon. Depending on the modification, it
carries built-in or suspended small arms and cannon armament, guided and unguided missiles,
bombs and cassettes with caliber from 110 to 1102 lb, machine guns, air-to-air missiles.
One sight of the Mi-24 bristling with missiles, with a deep hum of the enemy coming to the
positions, repeatedly put him to flight. And finally, the Crocodile is the fastest production
helicopter in the world. Back in 1978, Soviet test pilot Gurgen Karapetyan set an absolute
speed record for this type of aircraft on the Mi-24 – 228 mph.
The most memorable is Boeing CH-47 Chinook An important property of the army of any country
is its mobility. If you look at the transportation of military personnel, helicopters play a
significant role in this process. Especially during the Vietnam War, such a movement was
needed - the mountainous terrain and large temperature fluctuations made it difficult
to carry out the transfer of soldiers in another way. The Chinook helicopter came to the rescue
of the soldiers, which was created according to the original longitudinal scheme using
two rotors. During the rescue operations, a record was set - 147 refugees were taken
on board the helicopter. This device has received the slang nickname "flying carriage". It was
not abandoned on the battlefield, the specialization of the CH-47 was to transport cargo from ships
to ground bases. An interesting fact is that during the Vietnam War, the Chinooks evacuated
damaged equipment for a total of $ 3 billion. Until now, the helicopter remains in service
with many countries and is actively used. The most versatile is AH-64 Apache
The famous American AH-64 Apache, the main attack helicopter of the US Army since the
mid-1980s, is still the second most popular aircraft in its class. In total, more than
two thousand rotary-winged "Indians" were built. Over the past decades, designers have
perfected the Cold War platform. The latest version of the Apache - Block III - is equipped
with a state-of-the-art flight control system, composite blades, new engines, improved radar
and can control unmanned aerial vehicles. The main armament of the Apache is a 30-mm
automatic cannon, Hellfire anti-tank missiles, unguided 70-mm rockets and Stinger missile
systems for air combat. However, this helicopter is used not only as an attack helicopter.
The AH-64D can act as a command helicopter and coordinate the interaction between tactical
aviation and ground forces. And the highly efficient TADS electron-optical system, installed
on the nose of the Apache, allows pilots to perfectly navigate the terrain even in pitch
darkness, which makes this aircraft a good night reconnaissance aircraft.
The lightest is OH-1 Ninja The Japanese OH-1 Ninja reconnaissance and
attack helicopter is one of the smallest and lightest in the world. Its weight is only
2.4 tons, which is comparable to large civilian SUVs. These indicators were achieved due to
the widespread use of composite materials in the OH-1 structure. The narrow fuselage
(about 3 ft wide) reduces vulnerability to ground fire in the frontal projection. And
thanks to its dimensions (total length – 43 ft, height – 12 ft) "Ninja" lands even on
very small platforms. About 100 helicopters of this class were produced, all of them are
in service with the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces. The Japanese has no built-in weapon,
but it is equipped with four suspension points for missile, cannon or bomb armament. However,
the combat load of this helicopter is small - just over 286 lb. The main mission of the
OH-1 is reconnaissance. A hydrostabilized observation system was developed specifically
for this machine, which includes a color television subsystem capable of operating in low light
conditions, a laser rangefinder and a thermal imager for viewing the front hemisphere.
The most protected is Ka-52 "Alligator" The Russian Ka-52 Alligator and its naval
counterpart, the Ka-52K Katran, are the world's only serial combat helicopters with an ejection
system. In addition, these machines have an armored cab. These two factors, combined with
a fully duplicated control system between the two crew members, make the Ka-52 the most
secure helicopter in the world. Army aviation pilots fell in love with the Ka-52 right away.
The coaxial rotor layout provided the Alligator with outstanding flight characteristics. This
machine is resistant to crosswinds and difficult weather conditions, can perform difficult
maneuvers and fly forward even sideways. The armament of the Ka-52 is fairly standard for
Russian attack helicopters, with the exception of the Vikhr anti-tank missiles, which were
developed specifically for the Kamov technology. The high supersonic speed of these missile
ammunition (up to 2001 ft per second) reduces vulnerability during an attack and allows
to destroy several targets in one go. To cover a distance of 2 miles, the rocket needs only
nine seconds. The American Hellfire subsonic helicopter anti-tank missile covers the same
distance in 15 seconds. The most "hardy" шы Eurocopter Tiger
The European attack helicopter Eurocopter Tiger, which is in service with Germany, France,
Spain and Australia, is considered one of the best in the world in terms of flight range
without external fuel tanks. At one gas station, it overcomes about 497 miles. The fuselage
is 80 percent made of polymer composite materials based on carbon fiber and Kevlar, so the helicopter
is light (about three tons) and imperceptible for radars. The Tiger is armed with a built-in
30mm cannon, guided and unguided rockets at the external suspension points. For its "weight
category" the helicopter is very well protected. Thanks to the design, the helicopter will
be able to continue flying even after being hit by a 23-mm high-explosive fragmentation
projectile. A characteristic feature is the forward location of the pilot's seat. The
operator's station is at the back. In this case, the seats of the crew members are displaced
in opposite directions relative to the longitudinal axis of the machine to provide a better forward
view of the operator from the rear seat. Helicopter of the future - Sikorsky-Boeing
SB-1 Defiant Last year in the United States, Boeing showed
a video of testing the innovative Sikorsky-Boeing SB-1 Defiant helicopter. It is noteworthy
that the helicopter reached a speed of 149 mph, which is critical for rotary-wing machines
with one upper rotor. But not for the innovative SB-1 Defiant. It is assumed that its cruising
speed will exceed 248 mph, which will give the helicopter completely new capabilities.
That is why many developers around the world are following its tests so closely. The SB-1
Defiant is expected to bring new trends to the development of aviation and helicopter
engineering. The innovation of this rotorcraft is that it has three rotors working at once.
The two main ones are located on top and rotate in opposite directions to each other. This
balances the lift profile on both sides and allows the aircraft to fly much faster - twice
the speed of a conventional helicopter, while maintaining excellent controllability and
maneuverability. The third rotor, mounted at the back, acts as a pusher. This allows
the helicopter to quickly take off and gain speed without leaning forward.
That's all for today. We hope you enjoyed the video. Which military helicopter did you
like the most and which do you think is the most suitable for military use? Leave your
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