he MI-26 helicopter is the biggest, heaviest and most powerful helicopter every built. It was designed in the Soviet Union in the 1970s with the multiple aim of transporting up to 20 tonnes of cargo, engaging in construction projects such as the repair of bridges and power transmission lines, and also as a military offensive vehicle, it has gained global recognition for many of its global exploits, ranging from assisting in the clean-up operations in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster to the recovery of a 23,000-year-old Woolly Mammoth discovered in Siberia in 1999.
The first MI-26 took to the air in 1977 and the first production aircraft was launched three years later. The machine – nicknamed in Western countries as the ‘Flying Barn’ – has the ability to lift a total of 20,000 kilograms, the equivalent of around 20 mid-sized European cars. Such is its power that ground crews are required to wear safety helmets to protect them from the down force from its rotor blades.
Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster
The MI-26 has had an eventful existence, to say the least. In 1986, a modified version of the original craft provided pivotal assistance in the clean-up operations following the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster. Adjustments to the original version included a fire-retardant tank filled with counter-radiation solution and underbelly spraying apparatus. In addition, filter systems were added and protective screens were fitted to the cabin, thus protecting the crew as they tackled the catastrophe and supplied materials in an attempt contain the worst damage to the core reactor.
The 1996 World Team record breakers
In 1996, the Russian military loaned out four fully-manned MI-26 helicopters, to assist the World Team’s attempt to set a new world record for freefall formation skydiving. The World Team – led by renowned aerial stuntman BJ Worth – is an international collection of some of the world’s best skydivers, and its goal was to set a new world record for the number of free-fall formation divers.
Taking advantage of the MI-26’s ability to reach altitudes in excess of 20,000 feet, The World Team amassed 300 sky divers, with the MI-26 taking them up to a height of 22,000 feet, before dropping them into a tight formation. Although the 300-person sky-dive world-record attempt was not achieved, this was no slur on the credentials of the helicopter, as 297 of the sky divers did manage to attain a record-breaking link.
Elephants can remember
Outside the fields of disaster recovery and record breaking, the MI-26 has also gained some recognition in the field of archaeology and palaeontology. To this end, in 1999, an MI-26 helicopter was employed to transport a 25-tonne block of ice that surrounded a well preserved specimen of what is believed to be a 23,000-year-old Woolly Mammoth from the Siberian wastelands to a laboratory in Khatanga, in the northern provinces of Russia, on the estuary of the Laptev Sea.
The purpose of the expedition was to enable scientists to study the origins and habitat of the prehistoric beast, and also to potentially explore the controversial possibility of cloning its DNA. Sociological issues aside, following the expedition, the sheer weight of the lift meant that the MI-26 was immediately returned to the to undergo safety checks for structural strains to the airframe and rotor blades.
Afghanistan Chinook helicopter aid expedition
At the outset of the conflict in Afghanistan, in 2002, an MI-26 was dispatched to recover two US Military operated MH-47E Chinook helicopters that had been demobilised in what was known as ‘Operation Anaconda’ – a US military offensive to to drive the resistance forces out of a remote, mountain-lined valley in central Afghanistan.
Whereas one of the helicopters was deemed too badly damaged to be repaired, the other – having had all equipment such as fuel, rotors and non-essential equipment removed, was still – at over 12,000 kilos – was deemed too heavy to be retrieved by any US army helicopter. In response, an MI-26 was called in and was lifted via a lifting hook and transported to Kabul, then shipped to the US. Following this, six months later, another foreign-franchised MI-26 was called in to rescue another US Army Chinook. As such the Russian-built MI-26 played an important part in the Afghanistan conflict for aiding allied forces.
However, disaster was to follow for the MI-26, when a few months later, Chechen militia downed an MI-26 with a surface-to-air missile, causing it to crash-land in a minefield, resulting in fatalities to 127 Russian military personnel.
The China ‘Quake Lake’ emergency
As recently as 2008, following an earthquake that registered a massive 8.0 on the Richter Scale, the banks of a series of rivers of rivers burst in the Sichuan province of China. The result was that many of these lakes became blocked by substantial landslides, with huge pools of water welling up at the rear of the landslide, forming dams which were set to give way under the increasing mass of water. In terms of human population, millions of people living downstream could have potentially drowned.
The Tangjiashan mountain area was one of the most difficult areas to access. The media termed this phenomenon as the ‘Quake Lakes’ disaster. In this scenario, one Chinese-owned, MI-26 helicopter was quickly drafted in used to bring heavy earth-moving tractors to the affected location. Following a operation – which included several Chinese MI-17 helicopters bringing in specialists to join 1,200 military personnel – MI-16 helicopters helped deliver five tons of fuel to operate the machinery, which aided the construction of a water bypass to enable the diversion of the excess flooding.
However, as with any aircraft, there is always the risk of mechanical failure. Most recently – in December 2010 an MI 26 owned by the Indian Air Force crashed seconds after take off. Fortunately, even after a fall of 50 feet, there were no fatalities, with only nine passengers injured.
The 30+ year history of the MI 26 has been a succession of triumphs. Designed as a military helicopter, it has mostly found fame in other operations, largely providing relief for individuals facing disastrous circumstances.
