American military helicopters. Combat helicopters of Russia: description and photo

Thirty-three of the newest H-1 series helicopters will soon enter service with the US Army - such a deal will cost the military a pretty penny (or rather, 550 million dollars). In this regard, M PORT decided to explore: what are the best combat helicopters for America?

AH-1Z Super Cobra

Capable of a lot. Flexible. Multifunctional. In general, the most-most among attack helicopters, a masterpiece of helicopter art. Its design, materials, avionics and weapons meet all the highest requirements that the US Marine Corps imposes on its military equipment.

Especially good is its integrated aiming system, which comes in handy in modern military conflicts, often taking place in urban areas. And the passive radar carefully scans the vast battlefield, capturing several targets at once in the sights of the helicopter.

Boeing V-22

Wide application range, excellent speed and ability to transform. Once upon a time, the classic parameters of a helicopter were set as a flying machine. So, the V-22 flies twice as fast as the “classic”, takes three times more cargo, and its maximum flight height is twice the ceiling of older rotorcraft.

This is the first machine in the world that combines the ability to take off vertically and glide horizontally like an airplane. The crossover transmission allows the pilot to operate two Rolls-Royce AE1107C Liberty engines either together or separately. The specific layout of motors and planes is the best suited to the conduct of hostilities at sea.

To create a completely new machine with such an index, Bell added the most advanced aerospace technologies to its recognizable silhouette and proven reliability. Improvement of the helicopter body, two T700 engines from General Electric, a modern "glass" cockpit and the most advanced onboard systems- that's what makes it the perfect tactical helicopter.

According to experts, thanks to a fully integrated weapon system, avionics and communication systems, this rotorcraft is one of the most tenacious in modern combat conditions.

OH-58D KIOWA WARRIOR

This helicopter, with its outstanding combat qualities, is able to give pepper to the "bad guys" anywhere in the world. He already has a lot of real operations on his account, and he conducts military operations equally effectively both day and night.

This tough fighter can carry a wide variety of weapons on board. He is always on the alert, and he will be ready for battle no later than 10 minutes after unloading from the belly of the S-130 transport. And special equipment and a low-noise power unit help him covertly approach enemy positions.

The experience of using a fleet of 150 helicopters of this type located in more than 10 countries of the world proves that this helicopter deserves to be the main platform for the further development of a promising multi-functional helicopter.
Equipped with a reliable Honeywell T53-L-703 engine, it demonstrates excellent flying qualities. And this despite the fact that the latest improvements have weighed the car up to 4.8 tons.

According to experts, it is difficult to find the best helicopter for transporting the military over long distances and at high altitude, as well as for evacuating the wounded, including in hot desert conditions.

Excellent reconnaissance helicopter. Detects and eliminates the threat. Saves human lives. In general, the embodiment of the American army's dream of a high-speed and maneuverable reconnaissance aircraft.

The helicopter is equipped with a single Honeywell HTS900-2 turbocharged engine, which transmits 970 horsepower to the shaft. It is armed with a powerful Gatling cannon, seven guided missiles and a battery of 38 NURSs.

Russia has always been famous for its advanced engineering developments. Especially domestic designers have succeeded in military equipment particularly in aviation. Combat helicopters of Russia are the real asset of the country and its citizens, which makes them confident in a bright and peaceful future. To date, the main strike units of aviation are the Mi and Ka series rotorcraft.

Mi-8 helicopter

Initially, the unit of this series was designed as a multi-purpose military vehicle. However, the upgraded helicopters of the Russian army (Mi-8MTV-2) have long served as a strike force from long distances. Representatives of the series received great popularity in the role of landing transport.

Mi-8 is the most common Russian helicopters. It was they who were the main strike units in hot spots in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Algeria, Angola, Vietnam, Egypt, Iraq, Congo, Libya, Pakistan, Syria, Uganda and many other countries.

The development of Mi-8 helicopters began in the spring of 1960. The prototype of the series was the legendary piston Mi-4. For a long time the device did not find the proper place of application. However, in 1991, unexpectedly, a number of countries ordered the massive purchase of the Mi-8. About 3,000 units were exported. A few years later, the Mi-8 acquired a new upgraded version of the MTV-2. It was equipped with 4 B8V20-A blocks with 20 automatic launchers each, 9 machine guns, 4 GSh-23L cannons and a suspension for mounting bombs weighing up to 500 kg.

The helicopter is capable of climbing to a height of 4.5 km, reaching speeds of up to 250 km/h and withstanding a load of 4,000 kg. Thanks to two engines of 1500 hp. With. and a spacious cabin in the apparatus can fit up to 28 paratroopers.

Mi-24 helicopter

This rotorcraft was called "crocodile". Helicopters of the Russian Air Force of the Mi-24 series have repeatedly confirmed the ability to conduct round-the-clock combat. This unit can not only parachute up to 10 people - it is very effective in air and ground attack.

The Mi-24PS model is an alternative to the original and is capable of solving search and rescue tasks. Another representative of the series - Mi-24РХР - has found wide application in radiochemical reconnaissance. It was these helicopters that made it possible to timely assess the level of danger during the liquidation of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

The arsenal of the aircraft includes suspended weapons (2 cannons, 2 machine guns and 2 grenade launchers), guided missiles "Shturm", "Hermes" and "Attack". The package also contains cassettes with bombs up to 500 kg. The upgraded version has air-to-air cannon weapons.

The maximum speed threshold is 330 km/h. Lift ceiling - 5 km. The total power of the engines is 4400 hp. With.

Mi-28 helicopter

"Night hunter" is a universal assault weapon of domestic aviation. Russian combat helicopters Mi-28 are capable of planning equally well day and night as on high altitudes, and small (up to 5 meters). They have excellent flight characteristics, thanks to which they can detect and destroy the desired targets in the shortest possible time. One of the advantages of the device is its high protection against anti-aircraft weapons.

Experts compare Russian Mi-28 helicopters with American AH-64 Apache combat units. It is worth noting that the former not only have a better navigation system, but also a much more accurate guided missile launcher.

The Mi-28 arsenal includes a large-caliber gun 2A42, 4 NAR with a set of 20 S-8 units, as well as NAR S-13. ATGMs of the Attack, Shturm and Sagittarius series are used as guided missile launchers.

MAX speed - up to 300 km / h. Flight altitude - up to 5.8 km. GTE power - 4400 l. With.

Mi-35 helicopter

This rotorcraft is the best modification of the Mi-24. These Russian helicopters are widespread not only in the Russian Federation, but also in a number of other countries, such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar, Brazil, Indonesia, Peru, Venezuela, etc.

The Mi-35 series is intended for the destruction of heavy armored vehicles, landing and fire support of ground forces. Often, a helicopter is used to transport cargo or the wounded.

One of the main modifications of the series was night tracking devices capable of recognizing targets at a distance of up to 4.2 km. The combat kit includes 2 cannon mounts, 4 pendants, 10 guided missiles, containers with mines and bombs.

The helicopter is capable of climbing to a height of up to 4.5 km at a maximum speed of 340 km/h. Passenger capacity - up to 8 people. Includes 2 engines of 2200 hp. With.

Helicopter Ka-25

This is one of the main anti-submarine combat units of domestic aviation. Russian military helicopters of the Ka-25 series are capable of detecting underwater targets at a distance of up to 250 km. The device achieved such impressive results thanks to the new Initiative radar system of the 2K and Float models. In addition, the package of specialized equipment includes 2 frequency stations and a magnetometer. These systems have been developed over several decades.

The helicopter armament set consists of 4 or 8 PLAB and OMAB series bomb mounts and 2 AT-1 torpedo mounts.

The device is capable of reaching speeds of 220 km / h with a ceiling height of 3.5 km. This is a very heavy and massive helicopter (up to 7200 kg), but it is distinguished by its maneuverability and the level of takeoff speed. The kit includes 2 engines of 990 hp. With. The cabin can accommodate up to 8 soldiers.

Helicopter Ka-29

This model belongs to the multi-purpose type with the possibility of upgrading to a shock version. V Lately such Russian helicopters are designed purely for hitting targets on the ground and landing. Widespread in China, Vietnam and India.

The Ka-29 arsenal includes an aiming system, up to 90 aviation and anti-tank missiles, 2 or 3 gun mounts. It is possible to attach 4 heavy machine guns. The interior of the rotorcraft can accommodate up to 16 paratroopers or 6 stretchers with the wounded. Load capacity - up to 4000 kg.

Rated power of engines - 4400 l. With. The maximum speed that the Ka-29 helicopter can reach with an average load is 280 km / h. As for the ceiling height, it is 4.3 km.

Helicopter Ka-50

This model received the unofficial name "Black Shark". Russian military helicopters of the Ka-50 series were developed in parallel with the Mi-28. The task of the designers was to create a destructive machine that would demonstrate its superiority not only in the air, but also during a ground attack.

The first models of helicopters turned out to be too heavy and clumsy, so it was decided to reduce the weight of the armor and the dimensions of the device due to the single-seat layout. Due to the high cost, the production of "Black Sharks" until recently could not be called swift. By 2007, the Air Force had only 25 vehicles of this series in its arsenal.

The armament of the Ka-50 includes 3 cannon and 7 rocket launchers. From the controlled automatic configuration, it is worth highlighting the ATGMs of the Whirlwind and Igla series (2 each). The bomb arsenal is represented by a whole warehouse of charges (FAB, KMGU, ZB, RBC and others).

The maximum dive speed is up to 350 km/h. Maneuverability height - 4 km. GTE power - 2x2200 l. With.

Helicopter Ka-52

The second name of the model is "Alligator". These new Russian helicopters are the pride of the national military aviation. They are capable of hitting any targets at a distance of up to 15 km. All thanks to the universal search and aiming system integrated into the Whirlwind anti-tank missiles. This makes the Alligators a favorite in any air or ground fight.

In addition, the Ka-52 has a radar system called the Arbalet. It not only increases the combat capability of the machine, but also allows you to detect missiles flying in the direction of the helicopter at a distance of up to 5 km.

The Ka-52's arsenal includes the 2A42 gun and the Shturm, Vikhr, and Igla ATGMs. There are 4 rocket launchers S-8 or S-13.

Speed ​​threshold - up to 300 km / h at the maximum level of controllability. Height ceiling - up to 5.5 km. The maximum power of the engines is 2700 hp each. With.

The US Army is considering two new high-tech military rotorcraft projects: the Bell Helicopter V-280 Valor tiltrotor (Valor) and the Sikorsky and SB-1 Defiant (Daring) coaxial pusher helicopter. Flight tests of both machines are scheduled for 2017, the American military observer Chris wrote in the Warrior edition. This will be their first official test in the US Army.

SB-1 Defiant multipurpose helicopter prototype

The new helicopters were created during the JMR TD (Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator, Model of a single multi-purpose machine), which, in turn, is part of a program to create future vertical take-off aircraft (Future Vertical Lift, FVL), capable of replacing the famous helicopters Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk and Boeing AH-64 Apache, which are now in service with the US Army. A new fleet of combat and transport helicopters is expected to be created by 2030.

“The creation of two different high-tech, future-oriented helicopters is already well under way. There will be ground tests in 2016 and initial flight tests are planned for 2017,” confirmed JMR Program Director Dan Bailey.

According to him, the creation of helicopters is on schedule, "in strict accordance with the cooperation plans of co-executors."

According to the tactical and technical requirements for new vehicles, their cruising speed should exceed 500 km / h, and the combat radius should be more than 400 km.

Next-generation helicopters will also be able to operate in difficult weather conditions.

“We have set a speed requirement of at least 500 km/h as this requires the use of new technologies. In accordance with it, engineers and designers have put forward a lot of breakthrough ideas,” Bailey said.

A faster and more agile helicopter, which can fly far longer without mid-air refueling, would allow US Army units to more effectively hit enemy targets or deliver small mobile special forces teams to the scene, he said.

The new helicopter will be developed taking into account the latest achievements in the field of avionics in order to timely detect the enemy and use next-generation weapons, describe the requirements for a combat vehicle in.

“We need technologies and projects that are significantly different from what we have today. The new helicopters will carry more equipment and weapons, will be more maneuverable and will perform combat missions with a longer range,” said FVL Project Manager Rich Kretschmaer.

Bell Helicopter's next year will demonstrate to the US Army the third-generation V-280 Valor combat tiltrotor.

A tiltrotor is an aircraft with rotary bladed propellers, which, during takeoff and landing, work as lifting, according to the principle of a helicopter, and in horizontal flight, as pulling, while lifting force provided by an aircraft-type wing.

The V-280 was created taking into account the experience of designing and operating the first-generation XV-3 and XV-15 convertiplanes, as well as the BA 609 civilian tiltrotor that followed them and the first serial military tiltrotor V-22 Osprey of the second generation.

“Unlike the V-22, whose propellers tilted along with the engines, the V-280 engines are fixed in a horizontal position, and the transition between helicopter and airplane modes is carried out by tilting the propellers alone,” the deputy director explained to Gazeta.Ru.

The wing of the V-280 is forward-swept, not reverse-swept, as is the case with the V-22. It will be produced as a single piece using Large Cell Carbon Core technology, which will reduce the weight of the structure and production costs. This technology also allows you to quickly identify defects that occur during operation. The tiltrotor fuselage will also be made of composite materials. The V-280 Valor is designed with a V-tail and a triple redundant remote control system.

The crew of the V-280 consists of four people. The tiltrotor can carry up to 11 passengers on board.

The combat radius of the tiltrotor, previously named by Bell, is 926 km. Ferry flight range - 3889 km. Load capacity - 4500 kg.

Power point consists of two General Electric T 64-419 engines with a capacity of 5000 hp.

Another promising machine is the SB1 Defiant multi-purpose helicopter with coaxial rotors and pusher tail rotors. The project is based on the Sikorsky X2 demonstrator, which also became the basis for the promising attack helicopter S-97 Raider.

Unlike the strike version, the SB1 Defiant is designed to carry out transport operations, landing troops, performing search and rescue operations and evacuating the wounded from the battlefield. The helicopter in the future may enter service with the US Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.

It is expected that the helicopter may begin to enter the troops as early as 2018 and by 2030 will completely replace the obsolete, according to the US military, UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.

The JMR / FVL program involves the integration in advanced combat vehicles of a wide range of the latest sensors, weapons and aviation electronics, which provide for the possibility of remote control in cases where the pilot is disabled by a wound or killed, explained Warrior officials Pentagon.

The JMR TD / FVL project documents describe the tasks of developing a human-machine interface with the automatic execution of a large number of a wide variety of functions in order to unload the pilot and crew to take on more important tasks during a sortie.

For example, it is planned to introduce technologies on advanced convertiplanes that assist the pilot in making this or that decision, to organize and prioritize all information entering the cockpit, to optimize visual, 3D, audio and other information signals. Convertiplane pilots will be able to receive video from nearby unmanned aerial vehicles and control these drones during the flight. Some of the information can be shown in the cockpit, and some can be displayed on the pilots' helmets.

According to representatives of the US Army, promising helicopters are expected to integrate measures to counter various types of enemy weapons - from small arms to man-portable air defense systems.

Among such technologies is the Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) - a high-tech laser jammer capable of deflecting incoming enemy missiles from the course.

CIRCM is an improved version of the Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures (ATIRCM) system currently deployed on US Air Force aircraft. The completion date of the CIRCM system is 2018. By 2030, even more advanced technologies are expected to be used.

The new helicopter program involves the creation of new technologies for night vision devices for pilots, thermal imagers, electro-optical sensors, the improvement of laser rangefinders and laser designators.

According to the JMR, the helicopters are designed to combine weaponry and reconnaissance capabilities for the future use of helicopters in a fully autonomous mode, when the vehicle will independently detect, track and fire a large number of targets in sharp maneuvers, correcting for wind and other conditions.

Helicopters of Russia and the world (video, photo, pictures watch online) occupy an important place in the overall system of the national economy and the Armed Forces, honorably fulfilling the civil and military tasks assigned to them. According to the figurative expression of the outstanding Soviet scientist and designer ML. Mile, “our country itself is, as it were, “designed” for helicopters.” Without them, the development of the boundless and impassable spaces of the Far North, Siberia and Far East. Helicopters have become a familiar element of the landscape of our grandiose construction projects. They are widely used as a vehicle, in agriculture, construction, rescue service, military affairs. When performing a number of operations, helicopters are simply irreplaceable. Who knows how many people's health was saved by the helicopter crews who took part in the aftermath of the Chernobyl accident. The lives of thousands of Soviet soldiers were saved by combat "turntables" in Afghanistan.

Before becoming one of the main modern transport, technological and combat vehicles, Russian helicopters have come a long and not always smooth path of development. The idea of ​​lifting into the air with rotor originated among mankind almost earlier than the idea of ​​​​flying on a fixed wing. In the early stages of the history of aviation and aeronautics, the creation of lift by "screwing into the air" was more popular than other methods. This explains the abundance of rotary-wing aircraft projects in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Only four years separate the flight of the Wright brothers' plane (1903) from the first lift of a man into the air by helicopter (1907).

The best helicopters were used by scientists and inventors, they hesitated for a long time which method to prefer. However, by the end of the first decade of the XX century. less energy-intensive and simpler in terms of aerodynamics, dynamics and strength, the aircraft took the lead. His successes were impressive. Almost 30 years passed before the creators of helicopters finally managed to make their devices workable. Already during the Second World War, helicopters went into mass production and began to be used. After the end of the war, the so-called "helicopter boom" arose. Numerous firms began to build samples of new promising technology, but not all attempts were successful.

Combat helicopters of Russia and the United States It was still more difficult to build than an aircraft of a similar class. Military and civilian customers were in no hurry to put a new type of aviation equipment on a par with the already familiar aircraft. Only the effective use of helicopters by Americans in the early 50s. in the war in Korea convinced a number of military leaders, including Soviet ones, of the advisability of using this aircraft by the armed forces. However, many, as before, continued to consider the helicopter "a temporary delusion of aviation." It took another ten years until helicopters finally proved their exclusivity and indispensability in performing a number of military tasks.

Russian helicopters have played a big role in the creation and development of Russian and Soviet scientists, designers and inventors. Their significance is so great that it even gave rise to one of the founders of the domestic helicopter industry, Academician B.N. Yuriev to consider our state as the "birthplace of helicopters." This statement, of course, is too categorical, but our helicopter pilots have something to be proud of. These are the scientific works of the school of N.E. Zhukovsky in the pre-revolutionary period and the impressive flights of the TsAGI 1-EA helicopter in the pre-war years, the records of the post-war Mi-4, Mi-6, Mi-12, Mi-24 helicopters and the unique Ka family of coaxial helicopters, modern Mi-26 and Ka -32 and much, much more.

The new Russian helicopter is relatively well covered in books and articles. Shortly before his death, B.N. Yuryev began to write the fundamental work "The History of Helicopters", but managed to prepare only the chapters relating to his own work in 1908 - 1914. It should be noted that insufficient attention to the history of such an aviation industry as helicopter construction is also characteristic of foreign researchers.

Military helicopters of Russia in a new way shed light on the history of the development of helicopters and their theories in pre-revolutionary Russia, the contribution of domestic scientists and inventors to the global process of development of this type of equipment. A review of pre-revolutionary domestic works on rotary-wing aircraft, including previously unknown ones, as well as their analysis were given in the corresponding chapter in the book "Aviation in Russia", prepared for publication in 1988 by TsAGI. However, its small volume significantly limited the size of the information provided.

Civil helicopters in their best colors. An attempt has been made to cover the activities of domestic helicopter industry enthusiasts as fully and comprehensively as possible. Therefore, the activities of leading domestic scientists and designers are described, as well as projects and proposals are considered, the authors of which were significantly inferior to them in their knowledge, but whose contribution could not be ignored. Moreover, in some projects, which in general were distinguished by a relatively low level of elaboration, there are also interesting proposals and ideas.

The name of the helicopters denoted significant qualitative changes in this type of equipment. Such events are the beginning of a continuous and systematic development of helicopter projects; construction of the first full-scale helicopters capable of taking off the ground, and the beginning of mass production and practical application helicopters. This book covers the early history of helicopter engineering, from the concept of propeller lift into the air to the creation of the first helicopters capable of taking off from the ground. A helicopter, unlike an airplane, a flywheel and a rocket, does not have direct prototypes in nature. However, the propeller, which creates the lifting force of the helicopter, has been known since ancient times.

Small helicopters despite being known propellers and there were empirical prototypes of helicopters, the idea of ​​using a main rotor to lift into the air did not become widespread until the end of the 18th century. All the rotorcraft projects being developed at that time remained unknown and were found in the archives many centuries later. As a rule, information about the development of such projects has been preserved in the archives of the most prominent scientists of their time, such as Guo Hong, L. da Vinci, R. Hooke, M.V. Lomonosov, who in 1754 created an "airfield machine".

Private helicopters in a short time were created literally dozens of new designs. It was a competition of the most diverse schemes and forms, as a rule, one- or two-seat apparatus, which had mainly an experimental purpose. The military departments were a natural customer for this expensive and complex equipment. The first helicopters different countries received the appointment of liaison and intelligence military apparatus. In the development of helicopters, as in many other areas of technology, two lines of development can be clearly distinguished - but the dimensions of the machines, that is, the quantitative one, and the line of development of the qualitative improvement of aircraft within a certain size or weight category that almost simultaneously arose.

Site about helicopters which contains the most complete description. Whether the helicopter is used for geological exploration, agricultural work or for the transportation of passengers - the cost of an hour of operation of the helicopter plays a decisive role. A large share of it is depreciation, that is, the price divided by its service life. The latter is determined by the resource of the aggregates, r, e. by their service life. The problem of increasing the fatigue strength of the blades, shafts and transmissions, main rotor bushings and other units of the helicopter has become a paramount task that still occupies helicopter designers. Nowadays, a resource of 1000 hours is no longer a rarity for a serial helicopter, and there is no reason to doubt its further increase.

Modern helicopters comparing the combat capabilities of the original video has been preserved. Her image, found in some publications, is an approximate reconstruction, and not in all indisputable, carried out in 1947 by N.I. Kamov. However, a number of conclusions can be drawn on the basis of the archival documents cited. Judging by the test method (suspension on blocks), the "airfield machine" was undoubtedly a vertical take-off and landing apparatus. Of the two methods of vertical lift known at that time - with the help of flapping wings or by means of a main rotor - the first seems unlikely. The protocol says that the wings moved horizontally. In most flyers, they are known to move in a vertical plane. A flywheel whose wings oscillate in a horizontal plane with an installation angle that changes cyclically, despite repeated attempts, has not yet been built.

The best helicopter design is always directed to the future. However, in order to more clearly imagine the possibilities for further development of helicopters, it is useful to try to understand the main directions of their development from past experience. What is interesting here, of course, is not the prehistory of the helicopter industry, which we will only briefly mention, but its history from the moment when the helicopter, as a new type of aircraft, was already suitable for practical use. The first mention of an apparatus with a vertical propeller - a helicopter, is contained in the notes of Leonardo da Vinci dating back to 1483. The first stage of development stretches from the model of a helicopter created by M. V. Lomonosov in 1754, through a long series of projects, models, and even devices built in nature , which were not destined to take to the air, until the construction of the world's first helicopter, which in 1907 managed to get off the ground.

We recognize the fastest helicopter in the outlines of this machine circuit diagram the most common single-rotor helicopters in the world today. B. I. Yuryev managed to return to this work only in 1925. In 1932, a group of engineers, headed by A. M. Cheremukhitsnch, built a TsAGI 1-EA helicopter, which reached a flight altitude of 600 m and lasted 18 m / w in the air which was an outstanding achievement for that time. Suffice it to say that the official flight altitude record, set 3 years later on the new Breguet coaxial helicopter, was only 180 m. At this time, there was a pause in the development of helicopters (helicopters). A new branch of rotorcraft, gyroplanes, came to the fore.

The new Russian helicopter, with a larger load on the wing area, came close to the then new spin problem with loss of speed. It turned out to be easier to create a safe and sufficiently perfect autogyro than to build a helicopter helicopter. The main rotor, freely rotating from the oncoming flow, eliminated the need for complex gearboxes and transmissions. The articulated attachment of the main rotor blades to the hub used on gyroplanes provided them with much greater strength, and stability for the gyroplane. Finally, stopping the engine was no longer dangerous, as was the case with the first helicopters: by autorotating the gyroplane, it was easy to land at low speed.

Large helicopters for landing marines from ships determined the further development of the military helicopter industry as a transport and landing. The landing of American troops in S-55 helicopters at Inchon during the Korean War (1951) confirmed this trend. The size range of transport and landing helicopters began to be determined by the dimensions and weight of ground Vehicle, which are used by the troops and which had to be airlifted. The fact is ""for conventional weapons, mainly artillery, transported by tractors, in weight close to the weight of the tractors themselves. Therefore, the carrying capacity of the first transport helicopters in foreign armies was 1200-1600 kg ( lung weight military vehicle used as a tractor and related guns).

USSR helicopters correspond to the weight of light and medium tanks or corresponding self-propelled chassis. Whether this line of development will be completed in such a range of dimensions depends on the ever-changing military doctrine. Artillery systems are being replaced to a greater extent by rockets, which is why we find demands from the foreign press. Power did not lead to an increase in payload. Indeed, but technical level At that time, the weight of propellers, gearboxes for the entire apparatus as a whole increased with an increase in power faster than the lifting force increased. However, when creating a new useful and even more so new for national economic application, the designer cannot put up with a decrease in the achieved level of weight return.

Soviet helicopters, the first samples, were created in a relatively short time, since the specific gravity of piston engines always decreased with increasing power. But in 1953, after the creation of the 13-ton Sikorsky S-56 helicopter with two 2300-hp piston engines. with the size range of helicopters in the West was interrupted and only in the USSR, using turboprop engines. In the mid-fifties, the reliability of helicopters became much higher, therefore, the possibilities of their use in the national economy also expanded. Economic issues came to the fore.