Defense: Rotary-Wing Aircraft — 2017 Photo Contest

Face To Face With The Hind!

Amit Agronov, Beer Sheva, Israel

A Czech Republic Mil Mi-35 Hind was photographed from the air at the recent International Sanicole Airshow in Hechtel, Belgium.

Italian Navy SH90

Andreas Zeitler, Manching, Germany

An Italian Navy SH90 mutirole helicopter hovers above the sea in a simulated anti-submarine warfare exercise.

Helicopter Corral

Andrew Zaback, Egg Harbor City, New Jersey

Helicopters "fly the pattern" in the Ultralight area at a recent EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, Wisconsin, event. The Ultralight runway flight schedule is broken into periods to allow similar aircraft in the pattern at the same time.

The Last Flight

Anirban Bhattacharya, Kolkata, India

A Bell 412 is seen in action in an oil field in Eastern India. This mission was the last crew change of the day.

Flying With Stalions

Avichai Socher, Givat Shmuel, Israel

An Israeli Air Force Sikorsky CH-53D ('Yas'ur 2025) Sea Stallion flies along the Tel Aviv coastline, just above the harbor.

Beach Patrol

Ben Urlings, Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands

A Spanish Police Force Eurocopter EC135 "Angel 31" flies above Maspalomas Beach in the Canary Islands.

Fort Saint John, British Columbia, Take Off

Bryan Dudas, Lynden, Washington

An Erickson S-64F Air-Crane takes off from Fort Saint John, British Columbia, en route to Alberta.

Break, Break...Break!

Daniel Adams, Bronx, New York

A Sikorsky MH-65D Dolphin breaks right as an MH-60T Jayhawk, trailing close behind, breaks left during a training mission. Both aircraft are based at U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, Michigan. The air station recently transitioned from the Dolphin to the Jayhawk.

Air and Land Forces

Uldis Pelna, Riga, Latvia

The Latvian Border Guard monitor Russia/Belarus Zapad-2017 wargame maneuvers conducted on Aug. 18, 2017, near the border in Latvia's Karsava district.

 

 

Jayhawk Overhaul

David Lau, Doylestown, Pennsylvania

A U.S. Coast Guard Sikorsky MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter undergoes maintenance at the Coast Guard Aircraft Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, on Aug. 10, 2017. 

USCG on the Scene . . . Always Ready!

Daniel Adams, Bronx, New York

A Sikorsky MH-60T Jayhawk stationed at the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, Michigan, stands by for hoist training with a USCG 45-ft. Response Boat.

Royal Navy Merlin Helicopters Above the River Dart

David Bown, Dartmouth, UK

Two Royal Navy Merlin helicopters fly 100 ft. above sea level in close formation above the River Dart in Dartmouth, England.

Making Waves

Ben Urlings, Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands

One of the Spanish Canary Islands search-and-rescue PZL Sokol W.3 helicopters conducts exercises with an emergency response vessel off the Gran Canaria coast.

Fast Special Forces 50 m From Russian Border During Russian-sponsored Wargames

Uldis Pelna, Riga, Latvia

The Latvian Border Guard monitor Russia/Belarus Zapad-2017 wargame maneuvers conducted on Aug. 18, 2017, near the border in Latvia's Karsava district.

Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer and MH-65D

Joseph Handyman, Annapolis, Maryland

A U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer prepares to descend from a Eurocopter MH-65D to a Navy 44 Sloop during U.S. Naval Academy exercises on April 1, 2017.

USCG Jayhawk Overhauled

David Lau, Doylestown, Pennsylvania

A Coast Guard Eurocopter MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter poses in front of the Coast Guard Aircraft Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, North Carolina on  Aug. 10, 2017. 

Whiteout

Kirill Gorelov, Moscow

Helicopter in snowstorm.

Patrolling Green Border

Uldis Pelna, Riga, Latvia

Photo taken during Russia/Belarus Zapad-2017 wargame maneuvers conducted on Aug. 18, 2017, near the border in Latvia's Karsava district.

Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer and MH-65D

Joseph Handyman, Annapolis, Maryland

The Coast Guard rescue swimmer recovery on a MH-65D 6509 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on April 1, 2017.

Sunset Rescue

LaDon Roeder, Washington, D.C.

On Aug. 5, 2017, as I was setting up to grab a few shots of the sunset at Moraine Lake in Alberta, I witnessed the culmination of an incredible helicopter rescue. The helicopter appeared on the horizon and as it came closer it was apparent two people were hanging beneath it from a long cable. Flying in and banking right over the lake, the helicopter lowered them down.

Bulgarian Navy AS-565 Panthers In Close Formation

Ognyan Stefanov, Sofia, Bulgaria

A pair of Bulgarian Navy Airbus Helicopters AS-656 Panthers shown in close formation during a training flight over the Black Sea in April 2017.

Border Guard Taxi Arriving

Uldis Pelna, Riga, Latvia

Photo taken on Sept. 29, 2017. Latvian Border Guard exercises for special force 'Sigma' extraction in Latvia's Ludza district.

Apache And Black Hawk

Ron Shusterman, Milford, New Hampshire

Army demo at Rhode Island Air Show held at Quonset State Airport features Boeing Apache and Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters.

Skyway To Clear Waters

Yissachar Ruas, Bet Shemesh, Israel

A pair of U.S. Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopters based out of Air Station Clearwater conducts a photoflight over Tampa's Skyway Bridge—shot off the coast of Tampa Florida.

Break Right!

Steve Bigg, Georgetown, Ontario, Canada

The pilots of an Royal Canadian Air Force CH-146 Griffon helicopter break hard right low over the trees of the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range in northern Alberta to evade a simulated shoulder-mounted missile attack during a mission as part of the Maple Flag multinational air combat training exercise on June 8, 2017.

Water Bird

Uldis Pelna, Riga, Latvia

Photo taken on Sept. 29, 2017 during Latvian Border Guard exercises in the Ludza district of Latvia.

Teamwork

Yissachar Ruas, Bet Shemesh, Israel

Israeli Air Force Sikorsky CH-53 '"Yasur 2025" hovers above a medic from the elite Unit 669 during a demo at Hatzerim AFB, Israel.

Border Guards Never Sleep

Uldis Pelna, Riga, Latvia

The photo taken on Sept. 29, 2017, at a Latvian Border Aviation unit main base in Ludza, Latvia.

This year's rotary-wing aircraft entrants feature an interesting mix of military (including paramilitary) and civil helicopters. But all these images share one trait — the wonder of rotary-wing flight.

See Also

Winners of Aviation Week's 2017 Photo Contest

2017 Photo Contest Editor's Picks

Meet the Winning Photographers

Aviation Week's 2017 Photo Contest Judges

Commercial Aviation — 2017 Photo Contest Entries

Commercial: Widebody Aircraft — 2017 Photo Contest Submissions

Space: Launch Phase — 2017 Photo Contest

Defense: Rotary-Wing Aircraft — 2017 Photo Contest

Defense: Military Aerial Display Teams — 2017 Photo Contest

Defense: Combat-Ready Aircraft — 2017 Photo Contest

General Aviation: Vintage Fighter Aircraft — 2017 Photo Contest

General Aviation: Vintage Aircraft — 2017 Photo Contest

General Aviation: Aerobatics — 2017 Photo Contest Submissions

Descriptions of photos are provided by the photographers. Although we make corrections when possible, we are unable to verify every detail provided with the photos or to research photo subjects.