A major point in the development of larger helicopters is the weight of the gearbox of a main rotor. That weight grows significantly more than linearly with an increase in power transmitted. It took an awful long time for the US to reach the technological level reached by Mil in the Mi-6 that first flew in 1957.
The Mi-26 gearbox was another step and a new step might now be made by printing many parts of the gearbox from titanium. There might be the connection: Russian gearbox designers and Chinese titanium printers.
The Mi-26 gearbox was another step and a new step might now be made by printing many parts of the gearbox from titanium. There might be the connection: Russian gearbox designers and Chinese titanium printers.