Mi-12 - a unique Soviet helicopter, more like a plane

Soviet designers periodically surprised the world with unique developments. Airplanes and helicopters were especially affected. Take, for example, the Mi-6, a multi-purpose model that was mass-produced from 1959 to 1980. It was the largest helicopter in the world of its time. The length of its fuselage is as much as 33 meters. He also set a speed record in 1961, accelerating to 320 km / h, shaming the previous leader - the American model Sikorsky S-61 Sea King. But the Soviet designers did not calm down on this. They decided that the possibilities of increasing the size of helicopters were far from being exhausted. This is how the Mi-12 project appeared - a super-heavy rotorcraft with a payload capacity of about 30 tons.


Although the model never went into production, two helicopters were built. They could be on the conveyor, but the tasks have changed. The customer no longer needed such equipment. Mi-12 is still considered the heaviest helicopter built in the history of mankind. The appearance of the giant is impressive. People who are far from such a technique often cannot understand what is in front of them. A rotorcraft is more like an airplane. Her fuselage is at least typical for such equipment. And the two screws on the sides were bewildering. Even now, the Mi-12 seems to be an alien from outer space. Now try to imagine how they reacted to the helicopter in the late 60s. The author of the SkyShips channel will tell about this technique.