This video was made possible by CuriosityStream. Watch thousands of high-quality documentaries
and get access to my streaming service, Nebula, by using the link in the description. This is the largest American helicopter. But back in 1971, this is what the Soviet
Union brought to the Paris Airshow. A helicopter so large, it baffled observers. Because it could carry nearly two hundred
passengers, and set world records for lifting power that still stand to this day. But after returning to the Soviet Union, the
worldâs largest helicopter seemingly disappeared. In the Soviet Union, the helicopter emerged
as an indispensable tool. A machine that could go where no other machine
could, lifting people and supplies into remote regions that were once virtually inaccessible. And in a country as vast as the Soviet Union,
the helicopter would help build a nation. By 1960, the Soviets were building some of
the largest and most technically advanced helicopters in the world. But at the height of the Cold War, the need
to build a truly enormous helicopter would become a matter of national security. By 1960, American spy planes were beginning
to uncover the location of Soviet Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. For years, the Soviets had been hiding their
nuclear missiles by building launch sites deep in the remote wilderness. But the only way to move heavy first-generation
nuclear missiles was by train. And it meant building a rail line out to each
launch site. The Americans soon learned that to find the
missile sites, they simply needed to follow the rail lines. Keeping nuclear missiles hidden was a matter
of national security. So the Soviets devised a bold plan. Instead of using trains or roads, theyâd
airlift their missiles to remote locations. If helicopters could deploy missiles deep
into the remote wilderness, it would be virtually impossible for American spy planes to spot
them. But in 1960, even the largest helicopter in
the world was nowhere near powerful enough to lift a 25 ton ballistic missile. The Soviets would need to design a new helicopter
with at least twice the lifting power of anything before it. One option was to take what was already the
largest helicopter in the world and scale it up. Enlarging the Mi-6âs fuselage so that it
could safely carry a nuclear missile. But a larger helicopter would also require
developing a new more powerful engine and larger rotor. To save development time, another option was
to reuse the engines, rotor and gearbox from the Mi-6, but use two sets of them. It was a configuration that had already been
popularized by the Americans. But the approach wouldnât work for soviet
designers. In a tandem configuration, exhaust from the
forward set of engines would interfere with airflow to the aft engines. The solution would be to arrange the rotors
transversely, mounting the assemblies on a set of wings. This would allow engineers to reuse the Mi6âs
rotors, engines and gearboxes entirely to build a truly enormous helicopter. They would designate the prototype as the
V-12 The enormous machine would end up looking
like a half-helicopter, half-airplane with inversely tapered wings supporting the two
rotors. To keep the helicopter stable, the rotor blades
would spin in opposite directions, cancelling out reaction torque. During hover, directional control was achieved
by variably tilting each rotor. And at higher speeds, the V-12âs large tailplane
further enhanced maneuverability. Operating the giant machine required a crew
of six. With a pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer
seated in a lower level cockpit and a navigator, radio operator and electrical engineer on
a second level. The V-12âs enormous cargo hold could carry
combat matĂŠriel and machinery, or be converted into a civilian transport with seating for
up to 196 passengers. But the V-12âs primary role would be to
deploy intercontinental ballistic missiles. And the first step would be to load ICBMs
onto cargo planes that would then fly thousands of kilometers to remote landing strips. From there, the missiles would be transferred
onto waiting V-12âs and airlifted with support crew and equipment to locations hundreds of
kilometers into the remote wilderness. With more than 12 million square kilometers
of forest across the Soviet Union, American spy planes would be searching for a needle
in a haystack. When the V-12 appeared at the 1971 Paris Airshow,
it had already broken world records. Including lifting an incredible 44 tones of
payload up to over six thousand feet in 1969. The equivalent weight of 25 mid size cars. Western observers could only speculate as
to the V-12's true purpose, But many were expecting hundreds to be pressed into service. In reality, by 1971, impressing the west was
about the only use the Soviets had left for the giant machine. Developing the V-12 had taken the better part
of a decade, with design studies beginning in 1959 and the official go ahead given in
1962. But construction of the first prototype didn't
start until 1965, with the first successful flight occurring three years later. A machine this large comes with compromises. And engineers had to work through numerous
challenges around control and stability. But the biggest problem was that by 1971,
the V-12 no longer had a purpose. The Amercians launched the first spy satellite
into orbit in 1959. And in a single day it could photograph more
Soviet territory than all earlier spy plane missions combined, making it far more difficult
for the Soviets to hide their ICBMs. And by the 1970s, the Soviets were developing
a new generation of ICMBs small enough to fit on trucks, which could evade reconnaissance
by simply moving around. The V-12 was just too large and cumbersome
to be useful beyond its original mission. There were just too few scenarios that called
for lifting 44 tons of cargo or 200 passengers in a single helicopter. In 1974, development of the V-12 was ended after only two prototypes had been built. With many technical problems still unresolved,
the program was cancelled in favor of developing a new heavy-lift helicopter with a more conventional
single rotor design. Soviet Engineers werenât afraid to think
outside the box, and while the V-12 was still under development, engineers over at the MiG
design Bureau had another crazy idea. To turn a MiG-25 into the world's fastest
VIP transport, swapping out the MiGâs radar and missiles for a passenger cabin. You can learn more about this crazy Soviet
proposal in my latest video available right now, on Nebula. Nebula is a streaming platform I helped create
along with some of YouTubeâs top educational creators, and itâs where Iâm experimenting
with new kinds of content. Without having to worry about pleasing YouTubeâs
algorithms. Nebula is also where you can watch Mustard
videos before theyâre released on YouTube without advertisements or sponsor messages. Itâs also home to a growing number of original
shows. And a personal favourite of mine is the Logics
of D-day. An ongoing series produced by Brian from Real
Engineering. With high production values and indepth research,
each episode explores a fascinating aspect to one of the most ambitious military operations
in history. The best part about Nebula is that itâs
free when you sign up for Curisitysteam, a streaming site featuring thousands of high
quality documentaries. From history and nature to engineering and
design, CuriositySteam lets you take a deeper dive into fascinating topics. And just for Mustard fans, you can get an
entire year of Nebula and CuriosityStream for less than $15. Watch high-quality documentaries, and help
support Mustard and other educational creators by going to curiositystream.com/mustard and
use the promo code âmustardâ when you sign up.
It's parked in a field as a museum exhibit.
It was a prototype for a system that wasn't picked up on, so it's just an interesting historical footnote.
YES NEW MUSTARD VIDEO
Has anyone actually checked out nebula or the other streaming service he talks about?
I've been hearing about them for ages, curious if people find them any good.