Russian helicopter industry is moving forward ("Air & Cosmos", France)
At the third annual salon HeliRussia, which was held in Moscow from 20 to 22 in May, 150 participants from 14 countries were represented. For the subsidiary company Oboronprom, Russian Helicopters, which includes the largest Russian helicopter manufacturers, the salon became an excellent opportunity to demonstrate their achievements in the 2009 year.
Production growth
In 2009, the 183 helicopter was launched at the merger plants, which is 14 units more than in 2008. This progress was, however, lower than expected: a year ago, the corporation’s plans for the 2009 for the year included a 231 helicopter. According to the old tradition, the main part of the manufactured equipment was Mi-8 (up to 139 per year), intended mostly for export. However, today it is also worth noting a noticeable increase in supplies for the armed forces: in 2009, the Russian army received the 41 new helicopter against the whole 10 in 2008. Among them were the new Mi-28H and Ka-52, a batch of transport Mi-8МТВ5, as well as training Ansat-U.
The plan for the 2010 year is the 214 helicopter. This task is quite feasible given the fact that the necessary contracts have long been signed. According to Andrei Shibitov, Director General of Russian Helicopters, the order book of the plants for 2010 and 2011 is almost full, while the plants in Kazan and Ulan-Ude entered into contracts involving 20 to 30% of their capacities, even for 2012 year.
West Offensive
Despite all of the above, at the salon this year still dominated by foreign participants. EC175 Eurocopter and AW139 AgustaWestland attracted particular attention. The first Russian buyer of EC175 is none other than UTair, a company that possesses the largest fleet of civilian helicopters in Russia: it has ordered 2008 EC15 from just 175. According to UTair CEO Andrei Martirosov, "this is the best helicopter for the transportation of VIPs and offshore operations." In addition, he stressed that Eurocopter took into account the experience of UTair in the Arctic zone. A minimum of 5 helicopters from the first batch of EC175 will be used for flights to offshore platforms. Start of deliveries is expected in 2012
AW139 in Russia
AgustaWestland, in turn, is now continuing work on the AW139 assembly project announced in Russia two years ago. At HeliRussia 2010, Andrei Shibitov announced that in June Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland would open a joint venture HeliVert. Without waiting for the formal signing of the contract, Russian Helicopters have already prepared areas for the construction of the AW139 assembly line in the village of Panki near Moscow. On the first day of the salon, Oboronprom agreed with AgustaWestland on its technical specifications, and work should begin this fall. The production of the helicopters directly starts towards the end of the 2011 of the year. The plan for 2012 and 2013 is 4 and 8 machines, respectively, whereas then the assembly will have to reach the level of 20-24 helicopters per year.
More than ten companies have already shown interest in the Russian-made AW139. The first client will most likely be UTair: in December 2009, the company signed a cooperation agreement with AgustaWestland, and its pilots and technicians are currently being trained to operate and service the AW139. In addition, participation in the HeliRussia 2010 show was only the first stage of the AW139's journey across Russia. The helicopter will go on a two-week tour and visit such oil and gas centers as Surgut and Tyumen.
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