Mil V-12: Wider Than a 747, Abandoned After Two Were Built

The Mil V-12 — the largest helicopter ever built. In 1969 it lifted more than 44 tonnes to 2,255 metres; no helicopter has beaten that since. It took off at 105 tonnes and spanned 67 metres across its rotors, wider than a Boeing 747's wings. Two were built. Then the programme stopped, and nobody has built a helicopter that big again. CORRECTION: The FAI figure for the V-12's lift on 6 August 1969 is 40,204.5 kg (FAI record file 9937, "greatest mass carried to a height of 2,000 m"), not 44,205 kg as stated in the video. The V-12's altitude record with a 40,000 kg payload (2,255 m, FAI file 9917) has never been beaten by any helicopter. Sources: fai.org/record/9937, fai.org/record/9917 In this video: why a 300-seat helicopter has never existed, the three walls that stop helicopters from growing (lift, speed and risk), what the Mil V-12 proved and what it could not, the 1986 Sumburgh Chinook disaster, and the one job where giant helicopters are irreplaceable. Chapters 0:00 The 300-seat question 0:58 300 seats 3:39 The lift wall 7:35 The V-12 9:33 The speed wall 12:18 When something breaks 15:34 The one job 17:25 The number Sources FAI record 9917 (Mil V-12, 6 Aug 1969): https://www-2025.fai.org/record/9917 FAI record 9936 (Mi-26, 1982): https://civl.fai.org/record/9936 Russian Helicopters, Mi-26T: https://www.rhc.ru/en/catalog/mi-26t/ Mil V-12: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mil_V-12 NASA, Large Civil Tiltrotor (LCTR2), Acree & Snyder 2012: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/2... Slowed rotor / advancing-tip Mach: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slowed_... AAIB report 2/1988, Boeing Vertol 234 G-BWFC: https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/2-198... 2002 Khankala Mi-26 crash: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Kh... USASOC History Office, "From a Great Height": https://arsof-history.org/articles/21... Boeing CH-47 Chinook: https://www.boeing.com/defense/ch-47-... NAVAIR CH-53K fact sheet; Lockheed Martin CH-53K contract announcement (26 Sep 2025) Calculations marked "our calculation" on screen are explained in the pinned comment. Footage and photos: U.S. Department of Defense via DVIDS (public domain; appearance does not imply DoD endorsement). Stock footage: Pexels, Pixabay. Music: Pixabay — atlasaudio "Documentary"; leberch "Science Documentary", "Atmosphere Documentary", "History Documentary". Blueprint illustrations created for this channel. #helicopter #engineering #aviation #milv12 #soviethelicopter #mi12