Aircrafttotal Encyclopedia

Helicopters

A helicopter is a rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors — from the Focke-Wulf Fw 61 and the Sikorsky R-4 to today's Black Hawk, Mi-8 and NH90.

50helicopters
4groups
1936–2016first flight
13countries

About helicopters

A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and sideways. Most helicopters have one main rotor and a small tail rotor against the torque; others have two rotors in tandem, side by side, intermeshing or on one mast (coaxial).

The first practical helicopter, the Focke-Wulf Fw 61, flew in 1936, and the Sikorsky R-4 of 1942 was the first helicopter built in series. With the light turbine engine of the 1950s helicopters became powerful and reliable: today they are used for transport, rescue, police and medical flights, offshore work, fire fighting and as attack helicopters.

  1. 1936
    Focke-Wulf Fw 61The first practical helicopterFocke-Wulf · Germany
  2. 1941
    Flettner Fl 282 KolibriThe first helicopter in series productionFlettner · Germany
  3. 1942
    Sikorsky R-4The world's first mass-produced helicopterSikorsky · United States
  4. 1945
    Bell 47The first helicopter certified for civil useBell Helicopter · United States
  5. 1948
    Mil Mi-1The first Soviet series-built helicopterMil · Soviet Union
  6. 1949
    Sikorsky H-19 ChickasawSikorsky · United States
  7. 1952
    Piasecki H-21 ShawneePiasecki Helicopter · United States
  8. 1952
    Mil Mi-4Mil · Soviet Union
  9. 1953
    Kaman HH-43 HuskieIntermeshing rotors: two rotors that turn through each otherKaman Aircraft · United States
  10. 1956
    Bell UH-1 IroquoisOne of the most produced helicopters everBell Helicopter · United States
  11. 1957
    Fairey RotodyneFairey Aviation · United Kingdom
  12. 1957
    Mil Mi-6The largest helicopter in the world when it first flewMil · Soviet Union
  13. 1959
    Sikorsky SH-3 Sea KingSikorsky · United States
  14. 1959
    Kaman SH-2 SeaspriteKaman Aircraft · United States
  15. 1959
    Aérospatiale Alouette IIISud Aviation / Aérospatiale · France
  16. 1961
    Boeing CH-47 ChinookIn production for more than 60 yearsBoeing · United States
  17. 1961
    Mil Mi-8The most-produced helicopter in the worldMil · Soviet Union
  18. 1962
    Sikorsky CH-54 TarheSikorsky · United States
  19. 1962
    Aérospatiale SA 321 Super FrelonSud Aviation / Aérospatiale · France
  20. 1963
    Hughes OH-6 CayuseHughes Helicopters · United States
  21. 1965
    Bell AH-1 CobraThe first dedicated attack helicopterBell Helicopter · United States
  22. 1965
    Aérospatiale SA 330 PumaAérospatiale · France
  23. 1968
    Mil V-12The largest helicopter ever builtMil · Soviet Union
  24. 1969
    Mil Mi-24Mil · Soviet Union
  25. 1970
    VFW-Fokker H3 SprinterVFW-Fokker · Germany / Netherlands
  26. 1971
    Westland LynxSpeed record for helicopters (1986)Westland Helicopters · United Kingdom
  27. 1973
    Kamov Ka-27Coaxial rotors: two rotors on one mastKamov · Soviet Union
  28. 1974
    Sikorsky UH-60 Black HawkSikorsky · United States
  29. 1975
    Boeing AH-64 ApacheHughes / McDonnell Douglas / Boeing · United States
  30. 1977
    Mil Mi-26The largest helicopter in productionMil · Soviet Union
  31. 1979
    Bell 214STBell Helicopter · United States
  32. 1979
    Agusta-Bell AB 412Agusta / Bell · Italy / United States
  33. 1982
    Mil Mi-28Mil · Soviet Union / Russia
  34. 1983
    Agusta A129 MangustaAgusta · Italy
  35. 1987
    AgustaWestland AW101AgustaWestland / Leonardo · United Kingdom / Italy
  36. 1990
    Robinson R44One of the best-selling civil helicoptersRobinson Helicopter · United States
  37. 1990
    Denel RooivalkDenel Aviation · South Africa
  38. 1991
    Kaman K-MAXKaman Aircraft · United States
  39. 1991
    Eurocopter TigerEurocopter / Airbus Helicopters · France / Germany
  40. 1992
    HAL DhruvHindustan Aeronautics · India
  41. 1995
    NHIndustries NH90NHIndustries · France / Germany / Italy / Netherlands
  42. 1996
    Kawasaki OH-1Kawasaki · Japan
  43. 1997
    Kamov Ka-52Kamov · Russia
  44. 2000
    Bell AH-1Z ViperBell Helicopter · United States
  45. 2000
    Eurocopter EC725 CaracalEurocopter / Airbus Helicopters · France
  46. 2003
    Changhe Z-10Changhe Aircraft · China
  47. 2010
    Harbin Z-19Harbin Aircraft · China
  48. 2015
    Sikorsky CH-53K King StallionThe heaviest helicopter of the US armed forcesSikorsky · United States
  49. 2015
    Airbus H160Airbus Helicopters · France
  50. 2016
    Marenco SKYe SH09Marenco Swisshelicopter / Kopter · Switzerland