Western Military Helicopter Scrapbook

USMC Sikorsky CH-53D Sea Stallion

Photos by Ken Kula, Corey Beitler and Scott Zeno

Take a look at some of the western world’s military helicopters used during the last century, up to and including today. Hover over the thumbnail for type information, click the thumbnail to enlarge the photo.

German Armed Forces Eurocopter EC-135-T1

AIRBUS – AEROSPATIALE – MBB – EUROCOPTER – NHINDUSTRIES

Airbus Helicopters SAS includes the past companies of Aerospatiale, Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (MBB) and Eurocopter, through a series of mergers and acquisitions. 

USMC Bell UH-1Y

BELL HELICOPTER, TEXTRON 

Bell Helicopter began helicopter development during World War II. Textron bought Bell Aerospace in 1960 and the Bell Helicopter Textron name has been used from 1976.

Boeing CH-47F Chinook

BOEING – VERTOL (FORMERLY PIASACKI HELICOPTER) – MCDONNELL DOUGLAS – HUGHES

BOEING ROTORCRAFT SYSTEMS acquired the Piasecki Helicopter company in 1960. VERTOL is an acronym for Vertical Take Off and Landing. When Boeing merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, that company’s helicopter production (formerly Hughes Helicopters) was included.

Peruvian Navy SH-2G(NZ) Super Sea Sprite

KAMAN CORPORATION – ARCLINE INVESTMENT MANAGMENT

Charles Kaman’s KAMAN CORPORATION started producing helicopters in 1947. His intermeshing rotor system and servo-flap controlled rotor are two of the company’s innovations.

Canadian Forces AgustaWestland EH-101/CH-149 Cormorant

LEONARDO – AGUSTA WESTLAND

Finnmeccanica  and GKN merged their helicopter companies – Agusta and Westland Helicopters in 2000. Leonardo Helicopters SpA merged with AgustaWestland Helicopters in 2016 to form Leonardo Helicopters SpA.

Polish Air Force Mil-17-1V

MIL – KAMOV – ROSTVERTOL

MIL MOSCOW HELICOPTER PLANT – RUSSIAN HELICOPTERS was part of a giant helicopter company merger in 2006. Originally, Mil helicopters were produced from 1947 onwards. Mil produces the vast majority of rotary-winged aircraft in Russia. 

USMC VH-92 Patriot

SIKORSKY – A LOCKHEED MARTIN COMPANY

Igor Sikorsky’s Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corporation began helicopter designing and producing in 1939. United Aircraft was Sikorsky’s first parent company, but Lockheed Martin has taken over since 2015.