Eastern Express 14502 Mil Mi-26 Emercom

The Mil Mi-26 (NATO code: Halo) was a heavy Soviet-made transport helicopter of all-metal construction with a fixed undercarriage, in a classic arrangement with a main rotor and a tail rotor on the beam. The propulsion was provided by two Lotariev D-136 engines with 11,400 hp each. It is the only one in the world to have an eight-blade main rotor. The flight of the first prototype took place in December 1977, and serial production started shortly after at the Rostowska Factory of Helicopters. At the time of commissioning, the Mil M-26 was the most powerful and largest helicopter in the world, keeping this title until today (2017)! The size of the machine also allowed it to take up to 120 passengers or 79 soldiers with full equipment and suspended loads weighing over 20,000 kg. The Mil Mi-26 was produced in several variants: the basic one was the military transport version designated as Mi-26 A. There was also the anti-submarine version (ZOP) Mi-26NEF-M, but also civilian versions: fire (Mi-26TP) or transport (Mi-26TC). The successful Mi-26, due to its high specialization, was exported to only a few countries in the world, including Greece, North Korea, Peru and Venezuela.