Top 5: The World's Largest Military Helicopters (2024)

While helicopters are not particularly common in commercial aviation, being primarily used to transport people and goods to/from remote communities, they have become an essential part of the global military fleets. By utilizing helicopters, armies can conduct air attacks, air assaults, medical evacuations, and other missions, which would be difficult to do without the short landing capabilities of helicopters.

Nevertheless, the following list explores the largest military helicopters currently in active production, sorted according to their maximum takeoff weight (MTOW). As such, some helicopters still in use are no longer being built by manufacturers and will not appear on the list despite being able to carry bigger loads.

5 Mi-38

Entry-into-service date: December 2019

• Produced since 2003
• Maximum takeoff weight: 34,392 pounds (15,600 kilograms)

A product of Russian Helicopters, the Mi-38 is one of the latest products of the Russian aerospace industry, which has been sanctioned heavily due to the country's invasion of Ukraine. Nevertheless, the helicopter has been in development since the early 2000s, more than a decade before Russia began its proxy war against Ukraine in the eastern part of the latter country.

Photo: Russian Helicopters

According to Russian Helicopters, the Mi-38 is a multi-role aircraft that can carry cargo and passengers, including VIPs, and be used as a search and rescue helicopter. The medium-sized helicopter was developed by combining the best practices of the Mi-type helicopter operations, as read in the Mi-38 brochure.

“Modern avionics, radio communication equipment, crash-resistant fuel system, and energy absorbing structural elements ensure secure round-the-clock all-weather operation in a wide range of ambient temperatures: from -50 to +50°C.

4 Boeing CH-47 Chinook Block II

Entry-into-service date: 2020 (Block II)

• Produced since July 2023 (transition from Block I to Block II)
• Maximum takeoff weight: 54,000 pounds (24,493 kilograms)

While the first Boeing Ch-47 Chinooks began flying in the 1960s, the helicopter has been produced up to this day. According to an announcement by the manufacturer in July 2023, it began transitioning from Block I to Block II aircraft, completing the transition once it finalizes its orders for the former in 2027.

Photo: VanderWolf Images | Shutterstock

Still, the announcement of the Block II helicopter came in July 2017, after the plane maker received a $276 million contract from the United States Army. At the time, Boeing detailed that an improved drivetrain would transfer greater power from the engines to the newly designed rotor blades, engineered to lift an additional 1,500 pounds (680.3 kilograms) on its own.

Boeing delivered the first next-generation Chinook Block II to the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) in September 2020. In total, SOCOM had ordered 24 helicopters at the time, with the delivery marking an essential step for the program.

3 Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey

Entry-into-service date: June 2007

• Produced since September 2005 (full-rate production)
• Maximum takeoff weight: 60,500 pounds (27,442 kilograms)

Undoubtedly a technological marvel, the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft has had its fair share of troubles, including several fatal crashes and a recent grounding, which resulted in the whole fleet of aircraft not being operated for several months.

Photo: viper-zero | Shutterstock

Nevertheless, the aircraft is truly unique. After all, Bell, one of the manufacturers of the V-22, noted that it was the world's only production tiltrotor aircraft, combining the vertical lift capability of a helicopter with the speed, range, and maneuverability of an aircraft. The manufacturer's brochure also detailed that the V-22 Osprey has three different maximum takeoff weights (MTOW): vertical (52,600 lbs (23,859 kg)), short (57,000 lbs (25,855 kg)), and self-deploy (60,500 lbs (27,443)).

2 Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion

Entry-into-service date: April 2022

• Produced since August 2023 (full-rate production)
• Maximum takeoff weight: 88,000 pounds (39,916 kilograms)

One of the more recent helicopters, the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion, is the latest iteration of the CH-53 aircraft, which Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, upgraded into the CH-53K. According to the manufacturer, the helicopter was built to the specifications requested by the US Marine Corps (USMC), serving as the service branch's land and sea logistics connector.

Photo: Lockheed Martin

When Sikorsky delivered two CH-53K King Stallions to the USMC in February 2023, the manufacturer said that the US Navy (USN) declared the full-rate production of the helicopter in December 2022. According to the US Naval Institute (USNI), the CH-53K King Stallion entered full-rate production in August 2023.

Nevertheless, Lockheed Martin described the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion as the most powerful helicopter in the world, with the aircraft being able to carry a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) or even a Light Armored Vehicle (LAV).

1 Mil Mi-26

Entry-into-service date: 1983

• Produced since 1980
• Maximum takeoff weight: 123,459 pounds (56,000 kilograms)

Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Rostec, which also owns the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), described the Mi-26T as the world's best line production helicopter in terms of its load capacity. And it is right, with the MTOW of the Mil Mi-26 being 123,459 lbs (56,000 kg).

Photo: Aeroprints.com | Wikimedia Commons

The manufacturer's brochure about the helicopter said the first mass-produced Mi-26 took to the skies in October 1980. The Mi-26 has continued to be in service to this day, including its two latest variants: Mi-26TS, used by China, and the Mi-26T2. The latter is the latest iteration of the aircraft, with the latest avionics upgrades, a digital autopilot, and new navigational systems. To note, no Mi-26 have been shot down during the war in Ukraine when Russia invaded the country in February 2022.