Click to play videoYelahanka airbase Ever seen a monster in the air? The American C-17 Globemaster is the mainstay of its airlift operations in all theatres of conflict.
It can carry 82 tons of men and material and with a total take of load of 300 tons, it's difficult to imagine how this machine can hang in the air.
This hulk can airlift helicopters, tanks, and even submarines. It is the choice aircraft of the US military for rapid deployment of troops in combat.
And it's again the size of this, the world's second biggest airlifter, which takes your breath away. Surprisingly, all it takes to man this massive aircraft is a three-person crew.
The tandem rotors which power this chopper are its signature of distinction. "Everything in tandem rotor comes from the power of the engines. In other choppers, 15 per cent power is lost to tail rotor," says says Master Sergeant Mark Harrison.
Like the Globemaster, the Chinook flies high and hot, and is a preferred troop transporter. No wonder then that it's quite impossible to ignore the sheer visual appeal of these aircraft.
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