Systems and methods include providing a helicopter, with a fuselage, a tail boom extending from the fuselage, a main rotor system, and a tail rotor assembly disposed on an aft end of the tail boom. The tail rotor assembly includes a tail rotor housing, at least one normal ducted fan that generate anti-torque thrust to prevent rotation of the fuselage, and at least one canted ducted fan configured to generate both anti-torque thrust to prevent of the fuselage and lift to the tail boom in order to control the pitch of the helicopter. The canted ducted fans generate sufficient lift to prevent a nose-up orientation of the helicopter when the center of gravity of the helicopter is shifted rearward behind the main rotor system, while the normal ducted fans maintain sufficient anti-torque thrust to prevent rotation of the fuselage when the main rotor is operated.