YaK-24 “Horse”, the Soviet Chinook

Entering service in 1955, the Horse was the USSR’s first real attempt to build a heavy lift helicopter. Powered by a pair of Shvetsov ASh-82V 14-cylinder radial engines, the Horse had a top speed of 109 mph and could carry a payload of 4,409 lb at a range of an estimated 210 miles.

Production Numbers

But what really makes this helicopter interesting is that no one is really sure just how many YaK-24s were built or entered service. The data available on the aircraft is unreliable at best, but it’s believed that between 40-100 Horses were built and ended up in service with the Soviet Air Force.

Operational Issues

Another thing that must be pointed out, was that the Horse did have some issues. Most notably, suffering some serious vibration issues due to the configuration of the engines, among others. But this was one of the USSR’s first attempts at building a production helicopter, so I really can’t hold it against them. It was a new technology after all. But the Horse’s service history in the Soviet military is still mostly unknown, as data on the Yak-24 is inconsistent and sometimes contradictory.