A cargo hook is a device suspended below a helicopter and allows the transport of external loads during flight. Common terms for this operation include slingwork, underslung loads, external loadwork, and external load operations.
K-1200 K-MAX
A Eurocopter AS350 helicopter with a belly hook installed. This configuration is called a swing or suspension system mount because the actual cargo hook drops down from inside a swing frame that is suspended from the fuselage by four cables.
A Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter using a remote hook to lift Christmas trees. The remote hook is suspended from the belly hook with a long line.
The Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma is a four-bladed, twin-engined medium transport/utility helicopter designed and originally produced by the French aerospace manufacturer Sud Aviation.
Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma
SA 330B Puma, 2004
Instrument panel of an SA 330 Puma in service with the West German border police, 1985.
French Puma during Operation Desert Shield, 1990