http://russianhelicopters.aero Sun, 20 May 2012 12:04:32 +0400 60 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/3028.html <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;">Russian Helicopters developing global helicopter maintenance network</span></b></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Russian Helicopters Holding is forming a global helicopter maintenance network and certifying local aircraft repair plants, Holding Marketing Department Director Mikhail Dubrovin told Interfax-AVN at the KADEX 2012 second international arms show.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"We are forming a global maintenance network with the emphasis on member countries of the CIS and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. We will be using existent aircraft repairing plants. Bilateral relations with CSTO countries are developing," he said.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Particular attention is given to key markets, among them Kazakhstan, Dubrovin said.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A maintenance center may open at Kazengineering or the 405th plant in Kazakhstan. The 405th plant repairs Russia's Kamov Ka-32 helicopters, which will be transferred to the Kazakh Emergency Situations Ministry.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Besides, the number of helicopter units, which could be repaired in Kazakhstan, will be enlarged. "That is very important because we will not have to take many units to Russia for reparation," he said.</span></p> Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/3027.html <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;">Kazakhstan, Russia sign agreement on repair of Russian helicopters<span> <br /> </span></span></b></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Russia and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on Saturday to provide after-sale services and repair of Russian helicopters in Kazakhstan, reported RIA Novosti.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The deal was signed between Russian Helicopters, which designs and manufactures civil and military rotorcraft, and Kazakhstan Engineering, the country's core defense company, at the Kadex-2012 arms exhibition.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"We consider it is necessary to establish an efficient system of Russian helicopters' operation in Kazakhstan. We hope this cooperation ... will help us to strengthen [our] positions in Kazakhstan and at the Central Asian market as a whole," Russian Helicopters Deputy General Director Igor Pshenichniy said.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Kazakhstan also wants to build Russian helicopters on its territory, the country's Emergency Services Minister Vladimir Bozhko said on Friday at an acceptance ceremony for two new Ka-32A11BC helicopters.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry is reequipping its entire fleet of helicopters. The co-axial rotor Ka-32 will be used in the firefighting, rescue and medevac roles.</span></p> Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/3026.html <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;">Russian Helicopters offer Ka-226 to Kazakh security services</span></b></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Russian Helicopters Holding has presented the Kamov Ka-226T helicopter to the Kazakh Border Service, Russian Helicopters Marketing Department Director Mikhail Dubrovin told Interfax-AVN at the KADEX 2012 second international arms show in Astana.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"Russian governmental agencies are already using the Ka-226. We are offering it to the Kazakh security services now," he said.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The helicopter performed show flights for Kazakh representatives visiting Russia, and helicopter engineering drawings were showed to them. "Kazakh colleagues were satisfied with what they saw," Dubrovin said.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Helicopter service in Kazakhstan is an important element of the project. "We are thinking about options," Dubrovin said.</span></p> Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/3008.html <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;">Malaysia to order Mi-17 and Ka-32 civil helicopters</span></b></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Russian Helicopters Holding Company will sign a contract on delivery of civil version of Mi-17 and Ka-32 helicopters to several customers in Malaysia soon, declared by a representative of the Holding following the results of DSA-2012 show, RIA Novosti reports.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The 13th Defense Services Asia exhibition and conference was held in Kuala Lumpur on April 16th - 19th.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"We expect the signing of contracts with few civil customers from Malaysia soon after the closing of DSA-2012", the representative of Russian Helicopters said.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">According to him, the negotiations have reached the final stage. "The negotiations at the show were successful", - he noted.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Russian Helicopters Holding Company is one of the global leading developers and manufacturers of helicopters, including a number of the most popular and wide-spread models. Russian Helicopters have presented new light multi-role "Ansat" and Ka-226T helicopters at DSA-2012.</span></p> Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/2990.html <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;">Russian Helicopters posts strong 2011 growth in sales, deliveries </span></b></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Russian Helicopters, the state-owned maker of Mil and Kamov rotorcraft and the world's second-largest producer after Eurocopter, posted a strong 2011 financial performance, with revenue up by nearly 28% to Rb104 billion ($3.5 billion) and profits up by 13% to nearly Rb7 billion; deliveries increased 22% to 262 aircraft.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A key event of 2011 was the effective consolidation of the Russian helicopter industry with the acquisition of Rostvertol, whose 2010 sales and profit were retrospectively included to give a valid year-on-year comparison for 2011.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Chief executive Dmitry Petrov described "solid growth momentum" that took the company to a 14% share of the world market by revenue last year.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">During 2011, Russian Helicopters also doubled its backlog, to 859 aircraft worth Rb330 billion, owing primarily to Russian defence ministry contracts for more than 600 deliveries by 2020.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Market conditions last year led Russian Helicopters to abandon an initial public offering plan that sought to attract Western investors and valued the company at some $500 million. But the company is thought to be holding the stock market flotation option open while touting for other investment possibilities, including a Western private equity investment.</span></p> Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/2945.html Russian Helicopters profits rise, still eyes IPO <br /> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">State-controlled Russian Helicopters said it still aimed for an initial public offering as it reported a nearly 13 percent rise in 2011 earnings, boosted by increasing sales to India, China and the Russian Ministry of Defence.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The helicopter designer and producer, a holding company for 11 regional manufacturers that trace their origins to the early years of the Soviet Union, in May delayed a $500 million London share flotation due to lack of investor interest.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The Moscow-based company said in September it was still hoping to make a second attempt at an IPO in 2012, potentially giving investors a rare opportunity of exposure to Russia's defence and arms sector.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">"These results underscore the significant growth potential of our business and are in line with the guidance we gave to the market earlier in 2011," Chief Executive Dmitry Petrov said in an email sent via his spokesman on Monday, in response to questions.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">"We continue to have an IPO in our sights and will consider this in the event that we believe we can achieve a valuation that reflects the true value of our business," said Petrov.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Russian Helicopters reported a 12.7 percent rise in net profit to 7 billion roubles ($237.65 million) for 2011. Revenues rose 27.8 percent to 103.9 billion roubles.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Helicopter deliveries rose by 22.4 percent to 262, giving it a 14 percent share of the world's helicopter market, the company said.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">During the year it increased sales to India and China as well as to the Russian Ministry of Defence, Petrov said.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Fulfilling Russian state defence orders remains a key priority, he said in the email. The company has long-term contracts with the ministry to deliver more than 600 helicopters by 2020.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Bank of AmericaMerrill Lynch, BNP Paribas and VTB Capital were the joint organisers of the first IPO attempt.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times","serif";">($1 = 29.4550 Russian roubles)</span></p> Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/2950.html <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 23pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; color: rgb(0, 44, 70);">Russian Helicopters CEO: Steady Global Growth </span> <p style="line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">During a Feb. 13 interview at Heli-Expo, Russian Helicopters CEO Dmitry Petrov sat down with <i>Rotor & Wing</i> to discuss a number of topics, ranging from global expansion, emerging markets and training, to aftermarket support and R&D. The Moscow-based conglomerate is made up of a dozen subsidiaries, including Mil and Kamov, employing a total of around 40,000 people. </span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">When asked whether the company will compete with Sikorsky&rsquo;s X2/S-97 Raider and Eurocopter&rsquo;s X3, Petrov said Russian Helicopters has its own &ldquo;vision&rdquo; or approach to developing a high-speed rotorcraft design, known as the Advanced High-speed Helicopter. He explained that both Mil and Kamov are working on separate designs. </span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">&ldquo;By the end of this year, based on the projects they&rsquo;ve developed so far, we&rsquo;ll sel ect the best one in terms of advancement and feasibility, and we will continue basing our research and development on [the design that&rsquo;s chosen].&rdquo; Petrov added that, &ldquo;we understand that within the next three, five to seven years, the market will not be ready to buy speed at a high price. According to this principle, we have chosen to be a bit more conservative.&rdquo; </span></p> <p style="line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Petrov said that Russian Helicopters is keeping tabs on the civil rotorcraft market in China, as the government loosens commercial airspace restrictions. &ldquo;We are very closely monitoring the situation because we&rsquo;re aware of this opportunity. We&rsquo;re keeping an eye on it.&rdquo; He added that &ldquo;we know roughly what our share of this market should be, but I&rsquo;m not able to get into further details. But it is expected to be hundreds of new aircraft.&rdquo;</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">As far as the military side, Russian Helicopters is &ldquo;currently number one, and we&rsquo;re going to retain this position on the market,&rdquo; Petrov remarked, pointing to an &ldquo;extensive order portfolio&rdquo; from the Chinese Army. &ldquo;For a number of years, these orders will keep coming in,&rdquo; he continued.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Russian Helicopters is also active in supporting the rotorcraft needs of China&rsquo;s public service operators, with Kamov Ka-32A11BC deliveries starting in 2011, in both SAR and firefighting configurations. &ldquo;We started with some single contracts, but this year we signed a contract for 20 aircraft, to be delivered from 2013 to 2015,&rdquo; Petrov noted. Russian Helicopters is also setting up an aftermarket support business under a joint venture with Chinese partners, and is in discussions about establishing an assembly plant in China. Support services are scheduled to start in 2013.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Petrov also discussed another emerging market&mdash;Latin America, which the company &ldquo;started exploring two years ago.&rdquo; Russian Helicopters began delivering the Ka-32A11BC and Mi-171A1 early in 2011, and late last year received Brazilian certification for the Ka-32A. &ldquo;The Mi-171s will be operated by one of the companies working for Petrobras,&rdquo; Petrov explained. &ldquo;Other options and deliveries are expected in the near future.&rdquo; </span></p> <p style="line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Operators in the region are also interested in &ldquo;lighter aircraft,&rdquo; he continued, &ldquo;such as the Kamov Ka-226T and the Mi-34S1, and we&rsquo;re currently in negotiations over the opportunity to start assembling these aircraft in Latin America.&rdquo; He pointed to contracts in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela as examples of additional growth areas.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Petrov reports that the company&rsquo;s group of 12 subsidiaries produced a total of 265 helicopters during 2011. &ldquo;This year we will produce more than 300,&rdquo; he explained, &ldquo;so our sales and output will experience a steady level of growth of about 20 percent annually, in terms of both units and revenue.&rdquo; He predicts that Russian Helicopters will &ldquo;maintain the same pace in the coming years. Why I can be confident in saying this is we have an extensive and diversified firm order backlog,&rdquo; including, on the military side, with the Russian Ministry of Defence through 2020.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve also experienced great sales in the domestic market&mdash;civil helicopters both for exports and for large commercial operators inside Russia.&rdquo; As a result, the company&rsquo;s sales are expected to reach 150 billion rubles (approximately $5 billion U.S.), he added.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Russian Helicopters is also examining the light singe-engine turbine market. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re studying this segment now, actually two sub-segments&mdash;2.5 and 4 tons,&rdquo; Petrov said.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">&ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t been present in this segment until now. At the same time we appreciate the risks in these segments are significantly high. In both sub-segments, new releases are expected soon from our competitors, including Sikorsky, AgustaWestland and Eurocopter.&rdquo;</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In order to achieve success in the light segment, he continued, &ldquo;we will have to be very careful and thorough while calculated fr om the very beginning. Once we feel that we should have a helicopter in both of these segments&mdash;or in one of them&mdash;we&rsquo;ll look at all the aspects to come up with a balanced and frugal, fiscal decision.&rdquo;</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Russian Helicopters is expanding its aftermarket support network as well. &ldquo;We are establishing training schools at service centers and representative offices around the world, including China and Latin America,&rdquo; Petrov explained. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve prepared some programs for training both the pilots and technicians. They&rsquo;re cutting-edge, actually, and we will be offering training syllabi through the operators and our customers.&rdquo; The manufacturer is also working to establish the Training Helicopter Academy near Moscow. The academy &ldquo;will be scaled up to a large training center, with full-scale flight testing grounds, simulators approved to Level D/Stage 7, and a highly qualified pool of training instructors,&rdquo; Petrov noted. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve already started teaching and educating there, by 2015 we&rsquo;ll reach the full output of flight and technical training.&rdquo;</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Promoting flight safety and reducing accidents is an important part of the company&rsquo;s objectives, according to the CEO, who remarked that Russian Helicopters has worked to annually reduce the rate of accidents per number of units produced. &ldquo;This is due to the continuous increase of the quality of our product. We are publishing the service bulletins that are obligatory to increase safety of operation and flight performance,&rdquo; he said.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Petrov also pointed out that similar to fixed-wing operations, &ldquo;up to 95 percent [of helicopter accidents] are due to human factors, or pilot error. Especially with our newer models, our operators are working on decreasing the influence of human factors on the safety of flight.&rdquo;</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Among the safety equipment the manufacturer is pursuing for the Advanced High-speed Helicopter and some of its newer variants is an enhanced vision system (EVS). Russian Helicopters is increasingly teaming with avionics and engine OEMs to develop new systems for its aircraft. &ldquo;There used to be times when about 100 percent of the components for our aircraft were produced in Russia, but now we are working on expanding our global operation,&rdquo; Petrov said. &ldquo;With the newer models we&rsquo;ll be producing in 2015, the share of international-produced components will increase, and we will also increase our participation with global corporations.&rdquo;</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p> Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/2911.html <b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Arial CYR&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;">Russian Helicopters to showcase advanced products in Chile</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Arial CYR&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"> </span> <p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Arial CYR","sans-serif";">Russian Helicopters plans to organize a conference, titled Russian Helicopters: Top Performance in Harsh Conditions, at the FIDAE 2012 international air show in Santiago de Chile on March 28.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Arial CYR","sans-serif";">"Unique capabilities of Russian-made helicopters, intended to be used in hot and humid, and high-mountainous conditions typical of Latin American countries, will be demonstrated to visitors," a Russian Helicopters spokesman told Interfax-AVN on Friday.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Arial CYR","sans-serif";">The conference will center on the reliability of Kamov Ka-226T, Ka-32A11VS and Mil Mi-171A1 helicopters, and the upgraded Mi-171A2s and Mi-26T2s, he said.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Arial CYR","sans-serif";">Russian Helicopters' experts will speak about helicopters developed specially for this region with due account taken of the local geographical and climatic conditions. Russian Helicopters makes and is ready to deliver transport, cargo, fire-fighting and medical helicopters, and also special-mission helicopters, used to perform high-accuracy assembly of tall buildings, the spokesman said.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Arial CYR","sans-serif";">The company will demonstrate the advanced lightweight helicopter Ka-226T with the coaxial arrangement of the carrier rotors, the Mi-26T2 super-heavy helicopter equipped with advanced avionics and a new navigation system, "and also the Mi-171A2 - a deeply upgraded version of the Russian bestselling helicopter Mi-8/17, in greatest demand in the medium class," he said.</span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Arial CYR","sans-serif";">FIDAE, an air show of great significance in Latin America, will be held in Chile on March 27 to April 1 at a special demonstration site at the northern terminal of the airport of Santiago de Chile.</span></p> Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/2910.html  Petrov Sells Russian Helicopters &mdash; and Flies Them <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Readers of Britain's Times might have been astonished when they opened the newspaper one April morning last year and saw a full-page advertisement of a helicopter flying over Buckingham Palace and carrying a huge white gift box tied up with a white ribbon.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">"To one well-known helicopter pilot from one well-known helicopter manufacturer," read the text of the advertisement, addressing Prince William, who is a trained helicopter pilot and serves in Britain's Royal Air Force. </span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">It was Russian Helicopters, a state-owned defense contractor, that placed the advertisement in an effort to congratulate the royal heir on his wedding day.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Dmitry Petrov </span></b></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Education</span></b></p> <p style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm; line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">1989 &ndash; Mozhaisky Military Engineering Krasnoznamensky Institute in Leningrad, currently Mozhaisky Military Space Academy </span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Work Experience</span></b></p> <p style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm; line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">2010-Present &ndash; Russian Helicopters, chief executive <br /> 2007-10 &ndash; Oboronprom, a state-owned defense company, deputy chief executive <br /> 2003-06 &ndash; Itera, an oil and gas company, board member <br /> 2002-03 &ndash; ZGG-Zarubezhgaz, managing director; adviser to chief executive of </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: rgb(0, 102, 179);">Gazprom</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> Export <br /> 1999-2001 &ndash; Federal Industrial Bank, managing director <br /> 1996-99 &ndash; Gosinkor, a state investment company, senior executive in various positions <br /> 1995-96 &ndash; Energobank, a commercial bank, deputy chairman <br /> 1993-95 &ndash; Vostochny, a commercial bank, deputy chairman, then chairman <br /> 1984-93 &ndash; Armed forces of the Soviet Union and Russia, served in various positions</span></p> <p style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm; line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Reading now:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> A technical encyclopedia of 26 volumes issued fr om 1927 to 1934 <br /> <b>Movie pick:</b> &ldquo;Love and Pigeons&rdquo; (1984), a Soviet comedy directed by Vladimir Menshov; &ldquo;Seventeen Moments of Spring&rdquo; (1973), a TV miniseries directed by Tatyana Lioznova about the work of Soviet intelligence officer Max Otto von Stierlitz in Berlin during World War II. <br /> <b>Best weekend getaway:</b> With the family: in winter, skating or skiing; in summer, outdoor recreation near the water.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Russian Helicopters' chief executive, Dmitry Petrov, said such a decision was made because "things just came together" &mdash; the wedding, a helicopter exhibition in London, in which his company participated, and company plans to proceed with an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange last year. </span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">He said Russian Helicopters didn't receive any feedback directly from the royal family, but he hoped that William appreciated the idea.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">"I know that he saw the advertisement. &hellip; I think he liked it," Petrov said. </span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Petrov's love of flying is evidenced by the toy models of whirlybirds on the tables in his office. Despite his calm demeanor as a former military man, Petrov starts smiling and gets emotional while talking about piloting, which he started learning a couple of years ago and compares to watching a 3-D movie.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">"It's a feeling of three-dimensionality that you don't have while driving a car. The difference is like between 2-D and 3-D," Petrov said.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">"It's difficult for the first 15 hours, almost impossible. You want to stop every five minutes and get off the helicopter. But then you get the needed skills and start to enjoy it." </span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Piloting a helicopter, however, is hardly a bigger challenge than those that Petrov faces in his daily work. </span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Petrov, who joined Russian Helicopters in 2010 following a stint at Oboronprom, wh ere he oversaw the helicopter-manufacturing industry, had his work cut out for him as he sought to reap dividends from a recent consolidation of all the state's helicopter assets into Russian Helicopters. The creation of the holding was supposed to increase competitiveness for the state-owned industry, which was reduced to ruins in the 1990s after the Soviet collapse.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Uniting the country's production facilities &mdash; including those in Rostov-on-Don, Kazan, the Far East and the Buryatia republic &mdash; into one holding has helped ensure that the companies did "not die separately," Petrov said.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">It also allowed financial, scientific and human resources to be concentrated in one place and strengthened Russian Helicopters' position as the world's third-biggest manufacturer after U.S.-based Sikorsky and French Eurocopter, he said. </span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">The U.S. Defense Department picked the Russian-made flying machines over those by Sikorsky last year for use by the Afghanistan army, purchasing a total of  21 Mi-17s. </span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Although the move prompted the U.S. helicopter giant to complain about discrimination, Petrov remained unfazed, calling the situation "the usual competition."</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Petrov said Russian Helicopters has ambitious plans for growth this year, targeting the production of more than 300 helicopters compared with 265 in 2011. </span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Among his personal goals for 2012 is passing an exam to finally get his helicopter pilot's license, which he said he hasn't been able to do earlier because of time constraints.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Although Petrov is unlikely to use the document more often than his driver's license, he said in an interview with The Moscow Times that he would like to swap his car for a helicopter to get to the office &mdash; if aviation regulations are changed to allow city overflights one day. </span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">This interview has been edited for length and clarity.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Q: Why isn't it common among senior officials in Russia to use helicopters to get to work?</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;"></span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">A: It's a very expensive means of transportation. It's more expensive than a jet because a helicopter's construction is more complicated and a client always pays for the option of  vertically taking off and landing at any place.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">But the major hindrance is current legislation, which bans flights above big cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg. The infrastructure is weak as well. There are a few helicopter landing pads in Moscow, but they are intended for law enforcement agencies or hospitals.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">The first thing to do now is develop helicopter connections between Moscow and St. Petersburg for firefighting, ambulance services and business flights. And that's what we intend to do in the near future in cooperation with domestic carriers.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">But private flights might be possible in the long term if officials move their offices out to enclaves beyond the Moscow Ring Road. With amended legislation and the gradual development of helicopter services, flights are likely to become more affordable.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Q: Why did the U.S. Defense Department purchase Russian-made equipment to be used by the Afghanistan army instead of supplying U.S.-made helicopters?</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;"></span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">A: The Americans are widely known for their patriotism, but when it comes to military expenses, they spend money wisely. Russian-made helicopters have a number of advantages, including reliability, efficiency and the ability to work under any conditions &mdash; including strong wind, high humidity and mountainous terrain. Given all these qualities, the equipment has a competitive price.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Another reason is that Afghanistan has the proper infrastructure to use Russian-made helicopters. Service personnel and pilots are acquainted with our equipment, which they have used for training, so it won't take them long to master these helicopters.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Q: What challenges do you face while selling abroad?</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;"></span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">A: The major challenge is after-sale services. But we are probably luckier than other manufacturers because we don't have to start from scratch thanks to a rich Soviet legacy. Maintenance facilities have been preserved in many countries in Western Europe, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Central Asia and former Soviet countries, and we use them as a base to build service centers with our foreign partners.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">We hope to approach the standards of our nearest rivals &mdash; Sikorsky and Eurocopter &mdash; by increasing the speed and quality of our equipments' after-sale services.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">We have just started a project in China that will involve building a service center and possibly manufacturing helicopters locally. We have opened a service center in India, and if we win a tender to supply Ka-226T helicopters there, we might expand the center to start production of these helicopters locally.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">We're also in talks to open a service center in South Africa.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Q: How do you deal with corruption?</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;"></span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">A: It's not an issue for us because we have a serious bonus system that allows the front-office specialists &mdash; those who work with clients directly and theoretically have a chance to take bribes &mdash; not to give in to temptation. In fact, taking bribes makes no sense for them because they get very good compensation for working effectively.</span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Q: Who forms the core team of the industry? Does it attract young people, or does it rely on Soviet-era specialists?</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;"></span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">A: When the company's consolidation was under way, we had two groups of employees &mdash; those under 25 and those above 50. </span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">We faced a lack of people of the most productive age &mdash; 30 to 40 years old &mdash; because nobody wanted to work in the defense industry in the 1990s and early 2000s for reasons known to everyone: low pay and low prestige. </span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">We are addressing these issues. We actively cooperate with universities that focus on our profession and hold an annual contest called Helicopters of the 21st Century for both students and young specialists. </span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Now we see positive signs in our HR statistics. People have started to approach us because the industry has become more attractive. </span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Q: How does your military background help at your current job?</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;"></span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">A: It helped me understand the nature of work with the armed forces, first in the Soviet Union and then in Russia. Now, when half of our orders come from defense agencies, it's easier for me to work with them and understand their interests. </span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">It's also no secret that a military education makes people more disciplined. It has always helped me at work.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p> Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/2882.html <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Russian Helicopters Eyes China Civil Market</span></b></p> <p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">During a Feb. 13 interview at Heli-Expo, Russian Helicopters CEO Dmitry Petrov sat down with Rotor & Wing to discuss a number of topics, ranging from emerging markets to aftermarket support. The Moscow-based conglomerate is made up of a dozen subsidiaries, including Mil and Kamov, employing a total of around 40,000 people.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Petrov said that Russian Helicopters is keeping tabs on the civil rotorcraft market in China, as the government loosens commercial airspace restrictions. &ldquo;We are very closely monitoring the situation because we&rsquo;re aware of this opportunity. We&rsquo;re keeping an eye on it.&rdquo; He added that &ldquo;we know roughly what our share of this market should be, but I&rsquo;m not able to get into further details. But it is expected to be hundreds of new aircraft.&rdquo;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">As far as the military side, Russian Helicopters is &ldquo;currently number one, and we&rsquo;re going to retain this position on the market,&rdquo; Petrov remarked, pointing to an &ldquo;extensive order portfolio&rdquo; from the Chinese Army. &ldquo;For a number of years, these orders will keep coming in,&rdquo; he continued.</span></p> <span lang="EN-GB">Russian Helicopters is also active in supporting the rotorcraft needs of China&rsquo;s public service operators, with Kamov Ka-32A11BC deliveries starting in 2011, in both SAR and firefighting configurations. &ldquo;We started with some single contracts, but this year we signed a contract for 20 aircraft, to be delivered from 2013 to 2015,&rdquo; Petrov noted. Russian Helicopters is also setting up an aftermarket support business under a joint venture with Chinese partners, and is in discussions about establishing an assembly plant in China. Support services are scheduled to start in 2013.</span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Petrov also discussed another emerging market&mdash;Latin America, which the company &ldquo;started exploring two years ago.&rdquo; Russian Helicopters began delivering the Ka-32A11BC and Mi-171A1 early in 2011, and late last year received Brazilian certification for the Ka-32A. &ldquo;The Mi-171s will be operated by one of the companies working for Petrogras,&rdquo; Petrov explained. &ldquo;Other options and deliveries are expected in the near future.&rdquo;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Operators in the region are also interested in &ldquo;lighter aircraft,&rdquo; he continued, &ldquo;such as the Kamov Ka-226T and the Mi-34S1, and we&rsquo;re currently in negotiations over the opportunity to start assembling these aircraft in Latin America.&rdquo; He pointed to contracts in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela as examples of additional growth areas.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Petrov reports that the company&rsquo;s group of 12 subsidiaries produced a total of 265 helicopters during 2011. &ldquo;This year we will produce more than 300,&rdquo; he explained, &ldquo;so our sales and output will experience a steady level of growth of about 20 percent annually, in terms of both units and revenue.&rdquo;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Petrov predicts that Russian Helicopters will &ldquo;maintain the same pace in the coming years. Why I can be confident in saying this is we have an extensive and diversified firm order backlog,&rdquo; including, on the military side, with the Russian Ministry of Defence through 2020.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve also experienced great sales in the domestic market&mdash;civil helicopters both for exports and for large commercial operators inside Russia.&rdquo; As a result, the company&rsquo;s sales are expected to reach 150 billion rubles (approximately $5 billion U.S.), he added.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Look for the full story from Rotor & Wing&rsquo;s interview with Russian Helicopters CEO Dmitry Petrov in the April 2012 print issue.</span></p> Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/2831.html <p align="justify"> DALLAS, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Russian Helicopters' newest medium lift aircraft, the Mi-171A2, was put on display this week at an industry exhibition in Texas.</p> <p align="justify"> DALLAS, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Russian Helicopters' newest medium lift aircraft, the Mi-171A2, was put on display this week at an industry exhibition in Texas.</p> <p align="justify"> The aircraft, which is in the prototype phase of development, is a modernized version of the Mi-8/17, the export variant of the Mi-8, which first came into service with the Soviet military in the 1970s and which could be used as a gunship as well as a troops and cargo transport.</p> <p align="justify"> More than 12,000 earlier Mi-8/17s are in use around the world.</p> <p align="justify"> "Russian Helicopters have become a permanent exhibitor at HeliExpo, one of the best platforms in the world for demonstrating new models and sharing industry achievements,"</p> <p align="justify">Russian Helicopters Chief Executive Officer Dmitry Petrov said.</p> <p align="justify"> "We have decided to showcase the new Mi-171A2 in the USA in addition to the Ka-32A11BC that is already known in North America.</p> <p align="justify"> "I am confident that the Mi-171A2 will help Russia retain its leadership in the medium helicopter class, offering current and future customers all over the world unsurpassed performance, reliability, and safety that are the traditional advantages of rotorcraft of Russian make."</p> <p align="justify"> The Mi-171A2, which is expected to be certified in 2014, features new, higher power output engines, a new composite bladed rotor system and an enhanced transmission system.</p> <p align="justify"> Russian Helicopters said the aircraft also features an integrated avionics suite in which flight data is displayed on large screens.</p> <p align="justify"> In all, more than 100 improvements -- including those suggested by Mi-8/17 customers -- have been made over the Mi-</p> <p align="justify">8/17 and the earlier Mi-171 produced by Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant and which is operated 30 countries.</p> <p align="justify"> Mi-171A2 is under development by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, which is building the aircraft prototypes. It is expected to receive certification in 2014. The aircraft will be capable of carrying as many as 37 troops, in full equipment, on troop seats or 26 passengers on regular seats.</p> <p align="justify"> Its cargo compartment capacity is more than 8,800 pounds and an equal weight can be carried on a sling.</p> <p align="justify"> In addition to troops/passenger and cargo transport, the aircraft is suitable for missions such as firefighting, casualty treatment and medical evacuation and search-and-rescue missions, the company said.</p> <p align="justify"> Russian Helicopters JSC is a subsidiary of UIC Oboronprom, which in turn is a part of Russian Technologies State Corp. It is helicopter production powerhouse, with five production facilities, two design organizations, repair facilities and an after-sale service branch.</p> <p align="justify"> The aircraft was displayed at HeliExpo, an annual event sponsored by Helicopter Association International.</p> Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/2821.html <p class="bigtitle"><a class="dblue" href="http://en.rian.ru/business/20120208/171213309.html">Russian Helicopters Denies China Mi-2 Project</a></p> <p>Russian Helicopters, the holding that combines Russia's rotorcraft design and manufacturing enterprises, has denied press reports that it intends to take part in a joint venture to produce Mi-2A light helicopters in China.</p> <p>RIA Novosti reported on Monday that Xinhua said Russian helicopter maker Rostvertol and China's Xi'Ao Aeroplane Manufacturing intended to build a plant in northern China capable of manufacturing 100 lightweight civil Mi-2A helicopters annually.</p> <p>"Russian Helicopters states that neither Rosvertol...or Russian Helicopters or any of its daughter companies are taking part in any joint venture on the territory of China for production or kit assembly of light helicopters or any analogues of Mi-2 type helicopters," Russian Helicopters said in a statement on Wednesday.</p> Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/2814.html Andrey Reus: In a Couple of Years We Will Make Kazan Helicopters The Envy of All Our Rivals <p align="justify">Last week, an Oboronprom delegation headed by Director General Andrey Reus visited one of its key assets, Kazan Helicopters (Russian Helicopters is part of the Corporation). The enterprise is growing at a spectacular rate, with revenue for the last year forecast to reach 30 bln. rubles. Andrey Reus says that the situation is similar across the industry.</p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify"> In 2011, Kazan Helicopters invested 1.5 bln. rubles in the upgrade. &ldquo;This is already a world-class plant, and we have another couple of years to make it the envy of all our rivals,&rdquo; Andrey Reus said. </p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify">Mr Reus&rsquo;s thoughts were echoed by the banners hanging in the workshop to illustrate the Toyota Production System. &ldquo;Go to the source to find the facts to make correct decisions,&rdquo; says one of them. &ldquo;Become a learning organization through relentless reflection and continuous improvement,&rdquo; reads another.</p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify">The results of the new philosophy at the plant are clear: in 2007 Kazan Helicopters had revenue of just over 6 bln. Rubles, while now the figure is 30 billion. The average salary, according to the plant&rsquo;s official data, has risen from 12,680 rubles to more than 26,000 rubles (the results for 2011 are preliminary and will be confirmed in the annual report).</p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify"><b>- Mr.Reus, what are the 2011 results of the rotorcraft-building enterprises within the Corporation?</b></p> <p align="justify">- As per the annual results, the helicopter sector achieved 40% growth in revenue to 120 bln. rubles. This is a very serious pace. There are no loss-makers in the holding.</p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify"><b>- Would you like to highlight any specific achievements?</b></p> <p align="justify">- The upgrades of our plants, especially Kazan Helicopters. Three years ago we approved the modernization plan. The results can be seen on the shop floors &ndash; we are procuring not separate items of equipment, but a whole system of works. This is the only way to increase production efficiency, which is very important, since we are already seriously competing in the global market. Russian Helicopters ranks third by global sales. Sikorsky Aircraft and Eurocopter are first and second, and we are followed by AgustaWestland (by the way, this year we are launching a joint venture to assembling АW-139 helicopters), Bell and the rotorcraft division of Boeing. </p> <p align="justify">2011 also made us understand the necessity of creating centers of excellence. In 2012 we shall set about implementing this idea in a number of areas, including machining and composite materials. We are implementing a major project in transmission at the Reduktor-PM plant in Perm. The Progress plant at Arsenyev, which is also part of Russian Helicopters, has launched new casting facilities using cutting-edge technologies. Implementation of this project is quite crucial.</p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify"><b>- How do you assess last year&rsquo;s interaction with foreign customers?</b></p> <p align="justify">- We are quite active in India, which is a priority market for helicopter and engine-manufacturing holdings within Oboronprom. We are delivering on a contract for 80 Mi-17V-5 helicopters signed by Rosoboronexport, and are also bidding in the tender for light helicopters with our Ка-226Т, and the operation of our support center there... For some time trade with China has been slowing down. Now we have taken the leap and this tendency is bound to grow... And the American contract is very important. As a matter of fact it is a sign for the business community &ndash; although we understood that we make a high-class product &ndash; and for our European and global partners, a sort of certificate of acknowledgement that our machines are very high quality. For a number of combat and transport operations Mi-17V-5 is the best in the world in its class. </p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify"><b>- The Ministry of Defense has recently announced that it is going to order a huge number of helicopters from the holding, which is unrealistic compared to supply levels in previous years...</b></p> <p align="justify">- I consider it of the highest importance to sign long-term contracts with the Defense Ministry. We have been aiming for this for the past few years. The industry needs long-term contracts since one-year contracts have proved to be inefficient. Starting from 2011 our relations with the MoD regarding helicopters are developing on a long-term basis. Overall, orders placed with Russian Helicopters by state bodies (Defense Ministry, EMERCOM, other agencies) in 2012 will grow by 50 percent, and the same tendency can be seen with regard to Kazan Helicopters in particular.</p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify">- What about international activity of the holding?</p> <p align="justify">-Russian Helicopters is a global player, it sells its products to 80 countries so the company actively cooperate world-wide. </p> <p align="justify">We are preparing to sign a number of contracts with Avio, a well-known Italian company. The French group Safran supplies the engines for the Ka-226T and Ka-62 helicopters.</p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify">- Is Russian Helicopters going to change how it supports its products?</p> <p align="justify">- We launched a new logic of support two years ago. And the logic is as follows: you should sell not the machines themselves, but their lifecycle. The whole world has accepted this practice and we are also taking the necessary steps to adopt this type of business model.</p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify">- Will Russian Helicopters hold an IPO?</p> <p align="justify">- Yes, the holding previously started on the IPO path, but stopped short. We didn&rsquo;t intend to sell the stock of shares cheaply. Russian Helicopters is a successful company, so to reduce share price just to be listed is not acceptable for us. One of the reasons for postponing is that the investors didn&rsquo;t believe that our order book will remain at the same level as now. But by the end of 2011 we had signed firm contracts for $22 bln across Oboronprom. In fact this is three times our previous annual revenue. Now we are waiting for the right time and favorable market conditions.</p> <p align="justify">- Now let us discuss the model range. The situation with the Mi-17 is more or less clear. What newly-designed products we can expect in the near future?</p> <p align="justify">- We have begun developing an advanced high-speed helicopter . 400 mln rubles were invested in this project under the Federal Target Program to develop civil aviation in 2011. It&rsquo;s a very important project that will influence our marketability in a 10-15 year timeframe.</p> <p align="justify">Another important project is a complete upgrading of Mi-8 helicopters, i.e., the Mi-171A2 program. This would help us to retain our current niche and gain new markets. We must finish this work in two years. Mass production will be prepared in Ulan-Ude, but Kazan Helicopters will include all Mi-171A2 innovations in its contracts.</p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify">Kamov helicopters accounts for an increased proportion of production volumes. We are betting strongly on the Ka-226T. We are actively promoting it to India under tender, there is only competitor left &ndash; Eurocopter. We&rsquo;ve invested a great deal of effort in the Ka-226T program in the last years, I think that it&rsquo;s an excellent aircraft and it can sweep the market.</p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify">Recently Mi-28N and Ka-52 were inducted in the Russian Army. And there are many contracts for them. We are upgrading our Mi-34 light helicopters. Another priority is the Mi-38, which is also financed under the Federal Target Programs.</p> <p align="justify"> </p> <div align="justify"> You are aware that Oboronprom launched UAV programs together with Israeli company IAI. I think that in 5-7 years&rsquo; time it will be reasonable to sell helicopters, UAVs and control systems as a suite of products. That&rsquo;s why we began assembly of the vehicles using IAI technologies; we are settling the issues connected with production localization. Then we&rsquo;ll begin to work under UAV program, but based at our own helicopter technologies.</div> <p> <br /> </p> Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/2813.html Andrey Reus: State Order for Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant to Double <p align="justify">An Oboronprom delegation headed by Andrey Reus kicked off a tour of key United Industrial Corporation enterprises with the visit to Ulan-Ude Aviation plant on 23 January. Andrey Reus, Director General, and a member of the Central Council Bureau of the Russian Engineering Union, answered some questions from our correspondent.</p> <p align="justify"><b>- How do you rate the performance of Russian Helicopters in 2011? How did the Ulan-Ude plant contribute?</b></p> <p align="justify">- The holding had quite a successful year . According to preliminary estimates, production in 2011 increased by nearly 40%, which is an impressive number. Production at Ulan-Ude increased by more than 35 %.</p> <p align="justify">- Could you say a few words about your investment plans for 2012 and beyond&hellip;</p> <p align="justify">- Currently we are considering investment programs for all of Russian Helicopters&rsquo; plants. Kazan Helicopters has finished a serious investment program that has achieved a lot, and today it is a top-notch plant. </p> <p align="justify">Ulan-Ude plant is awaiting its turn. Production facilities are undergoing modernization, and new equipment is being procured. We invest every year and will maintain a steady flow of investments in future.</p> <p align="justify"><b>- What else have you learnt while visiting Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant?</b></p> <p align="justify">- I always start a year by touring all the plants that make up Oboronprom , both helicopter and engine-producing. I need to see the situation with my own eyes. This current visit to Ulan-Ude is a long-planned trip. </p> <p align="justify">The plant is ready to tackle the tasks at hand to increase production output. We have signed five-year contracts with vendors to enable the holding&rsquo;s plants, including Ulan-Ude plant, to work around the clock, so that all constraints are eliminated. </p> <p align="justify"><b>- You are at the helm of a major state corporation. How do you evaluate the measures taken by the government to support high-tech industries, including rotorcraft building?</b></p> <p align="justify">- Work has been ongoing since about 2004. As a deputy minister for industry and energy I have taken an active role in developing tools of state support for the industry. A federal target program for developing the defense industry was created at that time. We have outlined a number of methods to reduce imports, subsidize interest rates, support exports and introduce more high-tech equipment and options to buy it on favorable terms. I can also mention some additional measures here, like innovations funded by the state, for example. </p> <p align="justify">All in all the state has allotted more than 60 billion rubles to support helicopter and engine-building industries.</p> <p align="justify">In the five years that I have been working at Oboronprom we have actively used all these instruments. This has helped us to make all plants in the helicopter-building holding profitable. In the engine-building sector we have managed a break-through, saved a number of plants from bankruptcy and now they are doing quite well. So we can say that without state support measures, without the current industrial policy, we would not have achieved the present success.</p> <p align="justify">The engine and helicopter-building sectors are not the only beneficiaries.</p> <p align="justify">Ulan-Ude Aviation plant is one of the enterprises that make up Russian Helicopters holding. The plant has modern, extensive production facilities and technological know-how, meaning that it is very efficient at manufacturing new types of aircraft and can both develop prototypes and mass-produce. In its 70-year history the plant has made more than 8,000 aircraft, and today specializes in producing Mi-171 and Mi-171Sh helicopters.</p> <p align="justify">This means that we can expand quickly. Russia&rsquo;s helicopter-building industry currently ranks third globally by production volumes. Five years ago nobody could have expected that. Between 2004 and 2011 helicopter production tripled, from 85 to 262 helicopters. Currently Russian Helicopters has global market share of 14%, and I think that we can move up from our current third place.</p> <p align="justify"><b>- We are third in the world in terms of producing heavy and medium-class helicopters?</b></p> <p align="justify">- I meant all of our products &ndash; the whole range of helicopters. With respect to the helicopters you mentioned, we are indisputable world leaders. But it is important to maintain our position and develop our success. This is feasible thanks to our program of modernizing major plants. Upgrading projects is the number-one priority from a business point of view if we are to maintain the niche that we dominate at the moment. The same goes for our product range. Within Russian Helicopters, U-UAP is organizing mass production of a radically overhauled Mi-171А2 helicopter to replace the bestselling Mi-8/17 in the sales structure, allowing Russia to maintain its leadership in the medium-class helicopter niche for decades to come.</p> <p align="justify"><b>- In the coming years the state plans to plough huge funds into developing the defense industry. Is the Ulan-Ude plant capable of becoming a driver of regional economic development or a platform for promoting innovation? </b></p> <p align="justify">- Buryatia can have great confidence in the plant. Helicopter building is a growing industry. Oboronporm enterprises have an order book of 622 billion rubles, and state orders for U-UAP in 2012 are going to double.</p> <p align="justify"><b>- In your opinion, what needs to be done to recruit more young talent to work at the plant and make engineering professions more appealing?</b></p> <p align="justify">- I feel that the prestige of the engineering profession has increased recently. We work closely with higher education establishments, setting up new faculties with our best specialists as tutors. We understand how precious engineering thought is.</p> <p> <br /> </p> Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/2694.html <h1>Russia to get upgraded choppers</h1> <p class="text">Russian companies have begun work on modified versions of Mi-8 and 17. and Mi-171 helicopters. The new machine called the Mi-171-A2 can continue the commercial success of its predecessors. </p> <p class="text">There are good reasons for this. One of the major differences between the new version and the older ones- the Mi-17/171 is the weaponry. The earlier copters had  &ldquo;Motor Sich&rdquo; engines manufactured in Zaporozhie, Ukraine, says Andrei Fomin, editor in chief of  &ldquo;Vzlet&rdquo; magazine. </p> <p class="text">&ldquo;Sometimes, that created  problems when assembling copters for the military and for export. Hence it was  decided  to organize the production of  upgraded  engines in Russia, for which purpose a new mass production plant, a member of the Klimov company is under construction outside St. Petersburg. The mass production of engines, including for the Mi-171A2 will be done there. An auxiliary device like Sapphire- a product of the Czech Republic will be used  as  a foreign part. The modified version of the Mi-171A2 was initially conceived as a civilian transport and passenger chopper, which is certified in accordance with international norms, as a fit and proper civilian ship," says Andrei Fomin.</p> <p class="text">"However, the well known Mi-17 and Mi-171 helicopters  are widely used by civilians and the military alike. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that the upgraded version will be used by the military in Russia and abroad in the future. It doesn&rsquo;t mean that the helicopter will be turned into a bomb dropping aircraft. It is meant to transport airborne troops and special force units only."</p> <p class="text">But the emphasis is on the production of a commercial version of the Mi-171A2 copter, which meets all the modern requirements.</p> Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/2692.html <h1>Russian copters for Afghan army</h1> <div class="doc_text"> <p class="text">Russia is to deliver12 Mi-17 helicopters to Afghanistan before the end of the first 6 months of this year, and will thus fulfill the orders of the Pentagon for the supply of Mi-17B5 military and transport copters in full by July.</p> <p class="text">The Mi copter, which is produced by the Moscow Helicopter Factory could be the trademark of Russia&rsquo;s aircraft industry. It is exported to more than 50 countries in the world, including India, China and Iran. The Mi-8 and Mi-17 &ndash; an upgraded version of Mi-8, are the most popular, says Andrei Fomin, editor in chief of the &ldquo;Vzlet&rdquo; magazine. </p> <p class="text">&ldquo;It is an unprecedented event for the U.S. to order a large batch of  Russian made helicopters for the Afghan army. There were alternatives, but the Russian copters were chosen because of their effectiveness, price and suitability for allied  tasks  which they are to perform. The Mi-8 and Mi-17 helicopters are the leaders among the Russian copter series today, and they are in high demand by foreign countries, for various purposes&rdquo;, Andrei Fomin said.</p> <p class="text">For example, a new navigational complex with different versions has been installed in Mi-8, the most popular Russian helicopter. The cabin is readapted to allow for the fitting of a night vision device, as well as a gadget to enable it to fly in extremely poor weather conditions.</p> <p class="text">Work on the upgrading of the Mi serieis is continuing. The designers are  focusing on the  Mi-171A1 basic model - the modern version of the well known Mi-8. It is planned to complete the experimental  work, trial and airworthiness certification by 2012, while the mass production of the  copter will begin in 2013.</p> </div> Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/2690.html Russian Helicopters Delivers First Mi-171A2 Fuselage Russian Helicopters&rsquo; Ulan Ude factory has delivered the first fuselage for the Mil Mi-171A2 to its Mil Moscow plant for completion of one of two test aircraft, the company said on Monday. <br /> The company is planning a major modification of the Mi-171, including more powerful engines, composite main rotor, an X-shaped tail rotor, and integrated cockpit displays and navigation system. <br /> Mil plans to hand over two complete airframes for testing by the end of 2012. <br /> Mil hopes to increase the aircraft&rsquo;s range to 850 kilometers on internal fuel, external payload to 5,000 kilograms and boost cruising speed and crosswind limits. The machine will be able to operate in conditions of plus or minus 50 degrees Celsius (from 120 degrees Fahrenheit to minus 45 Fahrenheit). The new aircraft will also have significantly reduced running cost per hour, Mil claims. <br /> The Mi-171A2 will be certified in Russia and abroad after a series of ground and flight tests. The aircraft is expected to go in production by the end of 2014. <br /> Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/2691.html <b>Russia Invests $160 Million in Rotary UAV Development</b> <br /> Russian Helicopters has received 5 billion rubles ($160 mln) from the federal budget for the development of three types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). <br /> <br /> After charging that smaller domestic developers wasted public funds - and pointedly purchasing Israeli drones for military trials - the Defense Ministry has switched to a big holding with sufficient capacity to develop and produce indigenous UAVs. <br /> <br /> According to the Gazeta.ru portal, the company has been contracted by the Russian Defense Ministry to develop light-, medium-, and heavy-weight rotary UAVs for reconnaissance, strike and transportation purposes. <br /> <br /> A prototype of a short-range drone, Ka-135, with carrying capacity of up to 100 kg, must be developed by 2015. <br /> <br /> A heavy-weight UAV, dubbed Albatros, is expected to be developed by 2017. It can be used as a strike or transport drone. <br /> <br /> The most recent contract envisions the development of a medium-weight UAV with operational range of up to 300 km. <br /> <br /> If successful, Russian Helicopters may receive additional funding in the future to develop two more types of UAVs to be delivered to the military and police. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/2693.html <h1>Night Hunter: An all-new combat helicopter</h1> <b>Mi-28N, also called the Night Hunter, may have lost the Indian tender, but is brimming with ambitious plans to upgrade this all-season combat machine and conquer new markets <br /> </b> <br /> The global market for helicopter machinery is one of the biggest in both the civil and military segments, and customers are very demanding. A striking example of the fierce competition in this market is the Indian defence ministry&rsquo;s recent international tender for 22 attack helicopters. Although New Delhi is Russia&rsquo;s strategic partner in military and technical cooperation, India gave preference to the U.S. AH-64D over the Russian Mi-28NE. <p>Indian sources cite the Russian model&rsquo;s failure to match or surpass its U.S. counterpart in twenty criteria posed by the tender customer, as well as the AH-64D Apache Longbow&rsquo;s superior day and night capabilities. Are these claims tenable? They forget that the Mi-28 is in service as the main attack helicopter of the Russian Air Force. Has the Russian defence ministry made a mistake?</p> <p>The fate of the Night Hunter has not been easy. The Mi-28&rsquo;s creation and serial production programme coincided with a very tough period in Russia&rsquo;s history, as one state disintegrated and many new states were formed, including Russia. The Russian economy was in turmoil, leading to a cut in the national defence budget. While four Mi-28 prototypes were produced between 1982 and 1991, including two Mi-28A advanced versions, the first two prototypes of the Mi-28N modification weren&rsquo;t commissioned until November 1996 and March 2004, respectively.</p> <p>The helicopter design was later saved by a spike in energy prices which fuelled the growth of the Russian economy and proved to be a magic wand for the Mi-28 programme. In 2003, the Russian Air Force designated the two-seat, armoured, day-night military combat helicopter Mi-28N its main attack helicopter. The Night Hunter was supposed to replace the large fleet of Mi-24 helicopters.</p> <p>However, some experts have questioned whether the Russian defence ministry&rsquo;s decision to put this combat helicopter into service was wise or timely. They claimed that some of the helicopter systems had flaws, specifically the radar station mounted above the rotor. This is partially true, especially as far as the radar station is concerned &ndash;&ndash; it was only in development when the decision was made to adopt the Mi-28N for the Russian Air Force. Serial production of the new combat helicopter had to begin without the top-mounted radar station, which still remains undeveloped. The problem will be resolved in an upgraded version of the Mi-28N, which has been ordered by the Russian defence ministry.</p> <p> &ldquo;I want to make it clear that the absence of the top-mounted radar station on the serial-produced Mi-28N does not mean it has no day-and-night or all-weather capabilities, contrary to what some say,&rdquo; says Alexei Samusenko, general designer at JSC Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant. &ldquo;We have started serial production of the helicopter, because it can be operated day and night and in bad weather conditions, albeit with some limitations. But we have to remember that even the most advanced combat helicopter cannot be used in all weather conditions, as there are always some limitations.&rdquo;</p> <p>Flight tests of an experimental prototype of the radar station, which can also be used for ground mapping, began on a Night Hunter prototype on Feb 16, 2007. The upgraded attack helicopter MI-28NM was equipped with a radar station capable of searching and detecting targets for the efficient use of on-board armaments. It also serves as weather radar.</p> <p>Even the MI-28N version without the top-mounted radar station that is currently in service successfully carries out its mission: to train pilots on a new generation combat helicopter, because even flying at low altitudes in the all-new helicopter &ndash; a crucial component of combat helicopter survivability &ndash; is a real challenge.</p> <p>&ldquo;A pilot must always fly and be trained on a maneuverable combat machine capable of aerobatics,&rdquo; says Samusenko. &ldquo;The more Russian pilots fly the Mi-28N, the better, and soon they will get an upgrade with enhanced combat capabilities.&rdquo;</p> <p>The Mi-28N is not a modified version, but an all-new combat helicopter, a completely new generation machine. The Night Hunter is unique and technically superior to both Russian combat machines and same-class helicopters in service with the militaries of many foreign nations.</p> <p> </p> <p>The first MI-28N machines were handed over to the Russian Air Force in early 2008 and arrived at the Centre for Combat Training and Flight Personnel Training in Torzhok, where service tests were launched. On October 15, 2009, the Russian president issued an order for the Russian Air Force to officially adopt the new combat helicopter.</p> <p>Significantly, in early 2006, Russian Air Force Commander General Vladimir Mikhailov said that the army planned to procure 50 Mi-28N helicopters by 2010. However, to date, JSC Rostvertol has produced and delivered about 40 Mi-28N combat helicopters to the Russian Air Force. But production seems to be gradually picking up pace: last year alone, the Air Force received 10 new machines. Six more Hunters were delivered to Rostov-on-Don in early October 2011. The Russian defence ministry and Russian Helicopters Holding, which consists of JSC Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and JSC Rostvertol, signed a multiyear contract for the supply of Mi-28N combat helicopters by 2020. Starting in 2015, the plant plans to begin producing an advanced version of the Night Hunter.</p> <p><strong>A versatile complex</strong></p> <p>A modern combat helicopter is a sophisticated, versatile aviation complex capable not only of flying and using various weapons systems, but also of effectively performing a broad range of tasks and meeting all the requirements for machines of its class in modern warfare. It must be able to perform assigned missions in any conditions &ndash;&ndash; day or night, in adverse weather, at low altitudes and in mountainous areas, at low temperatures and in hot climates.</p> <p>This is why the developers did their best to deliver state-of-the-art technical and technological solutions in both airborne avionics and armament when they designed the basic Mi-28 model and its modified version, the Mi-28N. Suffice it to say that a standard Mi-28N recently made a successful record-breaking flight to Mount Elbrus.</p> <p>The Night Hunter features a cutting-edge, integrated onboard equipment complex, ensuring the machine&rsquo;s 24x7 operation and incorporating an electro-optical surveillance and sighting station with TV and thermal sighting system, coupled with a laser range-finder and antitank missile guidance system, as well as a turret electro-optical system with TV and thermal imaging channels, which considerably enhances piloting efficiency.</p> <p>The former system is housed in the nose of the helicopter in a rotating cylindrical container, and the latter system is placed is a small rotating &ldquo;ball&rdquo; above this container. Also located in the nose, under a special cowl, is the command radio equipment for the antitank missile control system.</p> <p>The Night Hunter&rsquo;s integrated onboard equipment complex, based on a last generation onboard computer, also features a modern navigation system and piloting complex, as well as a state-of-the-art communications complex. Target, flight, navigation and other information required by the crew is displayed on the windshield in the cockpit and on four multifunction color LCD displays&ndash;&ndash;two for the pilot and two for the navigator/weapons operator. The crew is also equipped with night-vision goggles for piloting the machine at night.</p> <p>&ldquo;One difference from the American model is that, based on our combat experience, including in Afghanistan, we have met stringent combat survivability requirements,&rdquo; says Samusenko. &ldquo;The helicopter has effective protective systems &ndash; both active and passive &ndash; against a wide range of weapons, from firearms to various types of missiles, even heat-homing guided missiles. In fact, our combat helicopters can adapt to warfare in which enemies are both beneath and around you; not somewhere far, but everywhere, including close to the home airfield.&rdquo;</p> <p>The Mi-28N has been equipped with highly effective defence systems to improve survivability, specifically laser and radar illumination stations and infrared decoys (the latter are located in removable containers mounted on the wingtips). To further increase survivability, the upgraded version, the Mi-28NM, will be equipped with a new onboard defense complex, says the developer. Other measures will be taken as well to increase the aircraft&rsquo;s combat potential.</p> <p>Importantly, both crew members of the Night Hunter are placed in an armoured cockpit, in seats ensuring the survival of pilots during crash landings with significant load factors. This was clearly demonstrated when a Mi-28N ended up in an emergency situation during maneuvers at the Gorokhovets training grounds.</p> <p>Its heavy armour is one of the Mi-28N&rsquo;s important features, giving it a competitive edge over Russian and foreign counterparts. &ldquo;A crucial difference of the Mi-28N versus, say, the Apache, is that it is almost completely armour-clad. The pilot and operator&rsquo;s cockpits are completely protected, and the windows are armored. The same applies to the main units of the helicopter&ndash;&ndash;they are all protected: the engines, gear assembly, etc. The main rotor blades are designed to withstand hits from 30 mm guns,&rdquo; says Colonel Igor Butenko, deputy director of the Centre for Combat Training and Flight Personnel Training.  The developers used composite materials in the helicopter armour and in the production of other structural components.</p> <p><strong>Combat training aircraft</strong></p> <p>The big question, however, is: How netcentric is the Mi-28N?  &ldquo;We conducted flight tests of the Mi-28N to check its integratability into the common command and control system back in 2006, and we were among the first developers of combat aircraft in this area,&rdquo; explains Samusenko.  &ldquo;During those tests, we tackled complex tasks involving searching, detecting and identifying targets, and transmitting target data to other aircraft. The helicopter also received target information from ground facilities and used it to search for targets, and detect and destroy them.&rdquo;</p> <p>Naturally, the Night Hunter needs to have an adequate avionics complex that meets all modern requirements in order to efficiently complete the tasks outlined by the chief designer. The helicopter is, therefore, ready to operate in the network-centric warfare and easily competes with the U.S. Apache Longbow. The final decision on a complete integration of the machine in the &ldquo;network-centric contour&rdquo; will, however, be made by the customer &ndash;&ndash; the Russian Air Force command.</p> <p>Another issue that remains undecided is that of producing a training and combat Mi-28N version with dual controls. The issue was raised by Russian helicopter pilots, as it turned out that getting trained to fly the new helicopter was a challenging task, which was further complicated by the lack of dual controls, just as experts had predicted.</p> <p>According to the developer, design documentation for the Mi-28UB training and combat helicopter is complete, and Rostvertol is getting ready to implement the project and build the first prototype. The developer plans to launch the training and combat helicopter soon and conduct a series of tests to determine when the new modification of the Hunter will be delivered to the Russian military, which is replacing the second army aviation squadron fleet with the Mi-28N.</p> <p>Finally, Russian Helicopters Holding is working to promote the export version of the helicopter &ndash; the Mi-28NE &ndash; in the world market. Algeria and Venezuela have shown an active interest in the machine. The Mi-28NE participated in a series of show flights in Algeria in July 2007, in the desert during the hottest summer months. According to experts familiar with the situation, the Hunter successfully passed testing, which included the use of guided and unguided missiles, as well as gun and cannon armaments to hit real targets. Also in July 2007, when Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez  visited Russia, he displayed a strong interest in the helicopter. There was a good chance of supplying a batch of Mi-28NE helicopters to Libya, but the deal didn&rsquo;t work out. However, the export life of the Night Hunter is just beginning, and the good news is probably on the way.</p> <br /> Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0400 http://russianhelicopters.aero/en/press/publications/2064.html Russian Helicopters signs $1.2 bln engine deal with Ukraine's Motor Sich <br /> <p>Russian Helicopters, which designs and manufactures civil and military rotorcraft, and Ukraine's Motor Sich engine-building firm have signed a $1.2 billion contract on the supply of Ukrainian engines for Russian commercial helicopters, Motor Sich head Vyacheslav Boguslayev said on Sunday.</p> <p>"We have for the first time signed a contract worth $1.2 billion for a period of five years. Neither we nor our Russian colleagues will be able to quit this contract under any scenario as it stipulates all legal consequences. On our part, we guarantee a qualitative fulfillment of this contract and on time," he said.</p> <p>The contract was signed in Dubai at a major airshow in the Middle East, which started on Sunday.</p> <p>The Dubai Airshow will be held on November 13-17 in the United Arab Emirates. The Airport Expo complex in Dubai is expected to host about 1,000 exhibitors from 50 countries, which will showcase their products to more than 55,000 guests and visitors. Russia will demonstrate its most advanced combat aircraft and air defense systems at the airshow.</p> <p>The contract will also help Russia and Ukraine develop commercial helicopter-building in the next five years according to plan, Boguslayev said.</p> <p>"Engines will not be supplied under a state defense order. This contract is commercial. We'll supply 250-270 engines a year during five years," he said.</p> Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0400