The Mi-26 is the first helicopter with an eight-blade main rotor, which is mounted above the fuselage midsection on a hump. Two turboshaft engines are mounted on top of the cabin with round air intakes above and behind the cockpit and exhaust ports at the sides of the engines. The long, bus-like body with fixed tricycle landing gear tapers to the nose and rear, with an upswept rear section and rounded nose and stepped-up cockpit. The tail is swept-back with a slightly tapered fin with large rotor on right side. The flats are forward-tapered and low-mounted on leading edge of the fin.

The HALO A has no armament. The load and lift capabilities of the aircraft are comparable to the US C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. The length of the landing gear struts can be hydraulically adjusted to facilitate loading through the rear doors. The tailskid is retractable to allow unrestricted approach to the rear clamshell doors and loading ramp. The cargo compartment has two electric winches (each with 2,500 kg capacity) on overhead rails can move loads along the length of the cabin. The cabin floor has rollers and tie-down rings throughout. The HALO has a closed-circuit television system to observe positioning over a sling load, and load operations. The Mi-26 is capable of single-engine flight in the event of loss of power by one engine (depending on aircraft mission weight) because of an engine load sharing system. If one engine fails, the other engine�s output is automatically increased to allow continued flight.
VARIANTS

• Mi-26MS: Medical evacuation version.
• Mi0-26T: Freight transport.
• Mi-26TZ: Fuel tanker with an additional 14,040 liters of fuel in 4x internal tanks and 1,040 liters of lubricants, pumped through 4x 60-meter long refueling nozzles for refu-eling aircraft, and 10x 20-meter long hoses for refueling ground vehicles. Fuel transfer rate is 300 liters/minute for aviation fuel, and 75-150 liters/minute for diesel fuel. The refueling system can easily be removed to allow the aircraft to perform transport missions.