Mil Mi-42

The Mil Mi-42 was a projected assault and transport helicopter that used the NOTAR concept in place of a tail rotor and was meant to take over from the Mi-40 programme. The Mi-42 programme was launched in 1985 as a development of the Mi-40 with higher performance in the aerial infantry fighting vehicle category: landing troops, escort, close air support and tactical strikes, with transport, medical evacuation, rescue and reconnaissance as secondary roles. It was to run on standard diesel fuel and to reach a top speed of 380 to 400 kilometres per hour, with a vectoring NOTAR nozzle that would turn straight backward as speed rose. The requirements, which mixed those of a truck, a transport helicopter, an attack helicopter and a strike aircraft, drove up complexity and weight until Mil itself concluded they could not be met. The design reached mock-up stage and the programme was cancelled after the collapse of the Soviet Union.