5 Of The Fastest Military Helicopters, Ranked By Top Speed

Helicopters aren't the fastest things flying through the air, but they aren't all lumbering beasts either. While they're not supersonic like some jet airplanes, many military helicopters fly through the skies at breakneck speeds. Most of the world's fastest helicopter flights were in civilian aircraft, but there are plenty of military helicopters that can zip through the skies as well.

Tiltrotor aircraft like the V-22 Osprey are certainly fast, but they aren't traditional helicopters, and their speed is primarily a function of their plane-like configuration. An aircraft's top speed also isn't necessarily how fast it normally flies. That number is noted as its cruising speed, and is slower than the maximum velocity.

While it seems that the fastest helicopters would be used primarily in attack roles, that's not always the case. Helicopters are often used to ferry troops and gear into and out of combat, where speed is a top priority. Conversely, the world's best attack helicopters — like the AH-64 Apache — place an emphasis on weapons delivery. Speed is still helpful in virtually all military use cases, though, and these five models are some of the fastest military 'copters in the world.

The Mi-35M Hind E is an upgraded export variant of the faster Mil Mi-24 Hind, and was developed for the Russian Air Force. The Rostvertol-made Mi-35M isn't as fast as its predecessor, but it's no slouch in the speed department either. Production of the Mi-35M kicked off in 2005, so it features newer systems than the original Mi-24. Along with its homeland, the Mi-35M is used in Azerbaijan, Venezuela, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, and Mali.

It features shortened stub wings, modern avionic systems, and upgraded engines and hydraulic systems. It's powered by two turboshaft VK-2500 engines, providing a peak combined output of 4,400 horsepower. These enable the Mi-35M to fly at up to a top speed of about 190 mph within a range of over 600 miles with a full fuel load. The Mi-35M is capable of taking on a broad set of mission requirements, and its speed is certainly helpful.

In addition to its primary attack role, the Mi-35M can carry eight fully geared combat troops and two crew members with its maximum internal payload capacity of more than 3,300 pounds. One of the reasons it's not as fast as the Mi-24 is due to its non-retractable landing gear, which adds drag. This feature is meant to make the Mi-35 better able to survive a crash landing while it's flying low to the ground.

The AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat was developed for the British Army and Royal Navy, although it's used by other nations. The AW159 is used for aerial reconnaissance, search and rescue, combat, troop transport, and command and control. This versatile aircraft first flew in 2009, making it relatively young among military helicopters.

The AW159 is powered by two LHTEC CTS800 turboshaft engines that provide a combined 2,724 horsepower. These enable it to reach a maximum speed of 193.2 mph with a range of 482.8 miles. When fully fueled, the AW159 can fly for 2 hours and 15 minutes, but with auxiliary fuel tanks, that time increases to 4 hours and 30 minutes. Such endurance makes the AW159 an exceptionally useful helicopter, and it's armed to the teeth for combat missions.

The AW159 carries a 50-caliber Browning M3M machine gun, as many as two dozen anti-aircraft and air-to sea missiles, a Sting Ray torpedo, and Mark 11 depth charges. These enable the chopper to fly out to sea, find enemy vessels, and destroy them. It's also fully capable of engaging targets on the ground, and has a proven track record of over a decade.

The U.S. Army has a massive fleet of helicopters, and one of the most common is the Boeing CH-47 Chinook. It entered active service in the early 1960s and remains one of the primary transport heavy-lift helicopters in the Army's inventory. The CH-47 is massive, with the latest model, the Block II CH-37F, with a fuselage that measures over 51 feet long. It can carry 1,080 gallons of fuel to power its two Honeywell T55-GA-714A engines. These enable the CH-47F to reach a maximum speed of 195.7 mph.

In 1961, that speed earned the CH-47F the Guinness World Record for the world's fastest military helicopter. Of course, that record has since been surpassed, but the CH-47 Chinook also boasts some other impressive stats. It's capable of carrying up to 27,700 pounds and flying as high as 20,000 feet. The CH-47F's speed is a product of its tandem-rotor, single-body design and combined engine output of over 9,000 horsepower. The Chinook has been in service for over 60 years, and Block III upgrade is already on the drawing board, so it has a secure future. The Army hopes to keep the CH-47 flying into the 2060s, which would take it past a century of service.

The Mil Mi-24 Hind is the predecessor of the Mi-35M, but despite being decades older, it beats its successor in terms of speed. The Mi-24 is still used around the world, though its primary operator is the Russian Air Force. The Mi-24 is a massive gunship and attack helicopter that can accommodate up to eight fully loaded combat troops and three crew members. Since the first one flew in 1969, more than 3,500 have been produced.

There have been multiple variants and upgrades to keep the Mi-24 flying well into the 21st century, so despite its age, it remains a highly capable combat aircraft. Powering the Mi-24 are TV-3-117 turboshaft diesel engines that provide about 2,000 horsepower each. The Mi-24 was produced in several variants, including the 24D Hind-D that could fly at up to 208 mph. In 1975, a modified Mi-24 set a new world speed record of 228.9 mph. That mark held until 1986 when it was broken by the next military helicopter on our list.

The Westland Lynx is a British military helicopter that entered service in the late 1970s. It was used by the military forces of numerous nations, including the Royal Danish Navy, French Navy, and others. The Lynx was initially designed for both civil and military usage, and evolved to include several variants. The Lynx is an acrobatic helicopter capable of doing an impressive array of loops and rolls, though these aren't standard battlefield maneuvers.

The Lynx employs a variety of dual-engine configurations, including Rolls-Royce Gem, Gem 4, Gem 60, and LHTEC T800 turboshaft engines. Some variants could reach a maximum speed of 201 mph, but a single flight in August of 1986 ensured the Lynx would remain the world's fastest military helicopter for decades.

A Lynx was modified with the goal of breaking airspeed records, and the project met its goal. On a straight 9.32-mile course over southwest England, this Lynx was able to reach a record maximum speed of 249.09 mph. It accomplished this feat with the help of experimental main rotor blades, two Rolls Royce Gem 60 turboshaft engines, and a digital electronic fuel control system. The Lynx's record has stood for nearly 40 years.