A load carrying assembly for carrying a load with a rotary wing aircraft, comprising: a load engaging system that is adapted for receiving a load; a drive that is adapted to be removably attached to a first attachment point of an associated rotary wing aircraft; a hoist that is adapted to be removably attached to a second attachment point of the associated rotary wing aircraft, wherein the second attachment point is different than the first attachment point; an articulated cargo boom with a first boom end and a second boom end that is opposite the first boom end, wherein the articulated cargo boom is movable between a stowed position and a deployed position; a swivel that attaches the first boom end of the articulated cargo boom rotatively to the drive; a sheave arrangement that is attached to the second boom end of the articulated cargo boom; and a cargo cable that passes through the sheave arrangement and comprises: a first cable end that is attachable to the hoist, and a second cable end that is attachable to the load engaging system, wherein an unwinding of the cargo cable from the hoist initiates a deploying rotation of the articulated cargo boom around the swivel from the stowed position to the deployed position, and wherein a rewinding of the cargo cable initiates a stowing rotation of the articulated cargo boom around the swivel from the deployed position to the stowed position. a load engaging system that is adapted for receiving a load; a drive that is adapted to be removably attached to a first attachment point of an associated rotary wing aircraft; a hoist that is adapted to be removably attached to a second attachment point of the associated rotary wing aircraft, wherein the second attachment point is different than the first attachment point; an articulated cargo boom with a first boom end and a second boom end that is opposite the first boom end, wherein the articulated cargo boom is movable between a stowed position and a deployed position; a swivel that attaches the first boom end of the articulated cargo boom rotatively to the drive; a sheave arrangement that is attached to the second boom end of the articulated cargo boom; and a cargo cable that passes through the sheave arrangement and comprises: a first cable end that is attachable to the hoist, and a second cable end that is attachable to the load engaging system, wherein an unwinding of the cargo cable from the hoist initiates a deploying rotation of the articulated cargo boom around the swivel from the stowed position to the deployed position, and wherein a rewinding of the cargo cable initiates a stowing rotation of the articulated cargo boom around the swivel from the deployed position to the stowed position. a first cable end that is attachable to the hoist, and a second cable end that is attachable to the load engaging system, wherein an unwinding of the cargo cable from the hoist initiates a deploying rotation of the articulated cargo boom around the swivel from the stowed position to the deployed position, and wherein a rewinding of the cargo cable initiates a stowing rotation of the articulated cargo boom around the swivel from the deployed position to the stowed position.