Russian helicopters lift 22-ton attack helicopters flying around St. Petersburg
The Mi-26 heavy helicopter transported the Su-24 attack aircraft on a 60 km journey.
On December 1, the Russian Defense Ministry's Zvezda TV channel released a video recording the scene of a Mi-26 transport helicopter carrying a 22.3-ton Su-24 fighter jet traveling a distance of 60 km from the airport in Pushkin to Kronstadt in the Leningrad region.Sputnikreport
| Russian transport helicopter lifts 22.3-ton fighter jet. Video:Zvezda TV |
The flight was part of a series of tests to determine the optimal speed of Russian transport helicopters when transporting special, non-standard cargo. Earlier this week, Zvezda also posted a video showing a Mi-26 helicopter lifting a 15-ton Su-27 fighter.
The Mi-26 is a heavy transport helicopter produced by the Soviet Union in the 1970s. The helicopter is 40 m long, 8 m high, and is equipped with two 8-bladed engines, allowing it to transport 90 soldiers or 20 tons of cargo. Russian media said the Mi-26 is the largest mass-produced helicopter in the world with a maximum take-off weight of up to 56 tons.
