A Piasecki H-21B at Elmendorf AFB in the early 1960s
Tandem rotor (sometimes referred to as dual rotor) helicopters have two large horizontalrotor assemblies; a twin rotor system, instead of one main assembly and a smaller tail rotor.
Single rotor helicopters need a tail rotor to neutralize the twisting momentum produced by the single large rotor. Tandem rotor helicopters, however, use counter-rotating rotors, with each canceling out the other's torque. Counter-rotating rotor blades won't collide with and destroy each other if they flex into the other rotor's pathway.
This configuration also has the advantage of being able to hold more weight with shorter blades, since there are two sets. Also, all of the power from the engines can be used for lift, whereas a single rotor helicopter uses power to counter the torque. Because of this, tandem choppers are among some of the most powerful and fastest. The CH-47 Chinook for example, has one of the fastest top speeds of any helicopter in service.
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