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Post by TsarSamuil on Aug 3, 2010 9:13:57 GMT -5
Russia's defense corporation signs contract on helicopter supplies to India.
Russia's state-owned defense corporation Oboronprom and India's Vectra Group have signed a $30 million contract on the supply of four Ka-32 Helix helicopters, the Russian company's CEO Andrei Reus said on Monday.
"I signed a contract with the Indian company Vectra on the supply of four Russian Ka-32 helicopters," Reus said.
"Although this is only four aircraft, it is important that it is actually the opening of the Indian market for Russian helicopters," he said.
The Ka-32 can be employed as a transport aircraft, for ice patrol, fire fighting as well as search and rescue operations.
FARNBOROUGH, July 19 (RIA Novosti)
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Post by TsarSamuil on Aug 3, 2010 9:46:25 GMT -5
Russia, China to design, build heavy-lift helicopter.
Russia and China will cooperate in jointly developing and manufacturing a heavy-lift helicopter, a Russian deputy industry and trade minister said on Tuesday.
Denis Manturov said the new helicopter could be based on the Russian Mi-26 and that the two sides were currently discussing the new machine's specifications taking into account China's domestic needs.
"This machine will be oriented toward the Chinese market and the project will be commercial," he said.
The Mi-26 Halo, a heavy transport helicopter with civilian and military applications, is the largest and most powerful helicopter ever to have gone into production.
Manturov also said Russia and China would cooperate in manufacturing aircraft engines.
SHANGHAI, July 13 (RIA Novosti)
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Post by TsarSamuil on Aug 3, 2010 10:06:40 GMT -5
Russian Helicopters Develops A Range Of New-Generation Unmanned Rotorcraft.
Defense Talk ^ | 7/2/2010 | Russian Helicopters JSC
ZHUKOVSKY, Moscow: At the 4th International Forum and Exhibition Unmanned Multipurpose Vehicle Systems - UVS-TECH 2010, held as part of Engineering Technologies 2010 that opens today in Zhukovsky,Russian Helicopters rotorcraft-manufacturing holding company showcases two perspective unmanned helicopters, Korshun and Ka-135.
These models are designed under Russian Helicopters program on developing a broad spectrum of vertical take-off and landing UAVs within three categories: long range (over 400 km), medium range (up to 400 km) and close range (up to 100 km).
Korshun medium-range unmanned helicopter weighs 500 kg and enjoys the range of 300 km, payload of 150 kg and maximum speed of 170 km/h. In the niche of close-range vehicles Russian Helicopters debuts Ka-135, new UAV of co-axial scheme with piston-engine and tricycle landing gear, weighing 300 kg and boasting up to100 km operational range, up to 100 kg payload and 170 km/h max speed.
Both unmanned helicopters are multi-purpose and feature the capability of equipping base platform with a variety of functional modules. They are intended for monitoring the environment, aerial patrol and security, transporting cargo, ecological monitoring, meteorological tasks, providing communication with hard-to-reach areas.
“Unmanned helicopters are a new on-going trend in world unmanned aviation evolving within the past decade. We estimate UAV market as one of the most dynamic and highly perspective. Russian rotorcraft industry should take a niche on this market. In current context our company’s main task is to develop up-to-date and competitive UAVs that are multifunctional, highly reliable and easily maintainable“, states Andrei Shibitov, COO Russian Helicopters.
Russian Helicopters plans to design various-purpose unmanned vehicle systems for a wide range of operations.
“Manned light helicopters like Mi-34, Ka-226, Patrol, Ansat, Aktai can be utilized as platforms for developing unmanned systems”, says Unmanned helicopters’ systems program director Gennady Bebeshko. –“At presentRussian Helicopters conducts initiative R&D to define technical configuration of unmanned helicopter automatic control system. This project is financed out of Russian Helicopters own funds”.
Russian Helicopters, JSC is an affiliated company of UIC Oboronprom. It is the managing body of the following helicopter industry enterprises: Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, Kamov, Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant, Kazan Helicopters, Rostvertol, Progress Arsenyev Aviation Company, Kumertau Aviation Production Enterprise, Vpered Moscow Machine-Building Plant, Stupino Machine Production Plant, Reductor-PM , Helicopter Service Company (VSK) and Novosibirsk Aircraft Repairing Plant.
UIC Oboronprom, JSC is a multi-profile industrial and investment group established in 2002. Its main tasks include helicopter engineering (Russian Helicopters managing company), engine-building (United Engine Industry Corporation managing company), air defense systems and complex electronic systems (Defense Systems holding company), and other machine-building activities. The companies of the group reported revenues of over 130 billion roubles in 2009.
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Post by TsarSamuil on Aug 3, 2010 10:08:18 GMT -5
UPDATE: Russia plans to develop 5th-generation 'stealth' helicopters.
A Russian helicopter company is planning to develop the world's first fifth-generation combat helicopter, which experts say would be able to attack fighter jets and be invisible for radars, the Gazeta daily said on Thursday.
"We are working on the concept of the fifth-generation combat helicopter," the paper quoted the company's CEO, Andrei Shibitov, as saying at a news conference in Moscow.
Shibitov did not specify the characteristics of the helicopter, but said the company was going to spend some $1 billion on the project, with more investment expected to be allocated from the state budget.
The official said the Mil design bureau had been working on a classical rotor model, which features a large main rotor and a smaller auxiliary rotor, while the Kamov design bureau had been developing a coaxial rotor model.
Military experts believe that the coaxial rotor model is more stable and easy to fly while the classical model is more reliable and has a higher degree of survivability on the battlefield.
First deputy head of the Russian Academy of Geopolitical Issues, Konstantin Sivkov, told the paper that fifth-generation combat helicopters have never been built before, although the United States has recently begun working on a similar project.
He said a fifth-generation combat helicopter must have a low radar signature, a high noise reduction, an extended flying range, be equipped with a computerized arms control system, be able to combat fighter jets (existing helicopters are generally only intended to hit ground-based targets) and reach a speed of up to 500-600 km/h (310-370 mph).
The project cannot proceed, however, unless it is backed by the government.
"If the government does not sign a contract, the idea will die on the vine," head of the Russian Academy of Geopolitical Issues Leonid Ivashov told Gazeta.
Ivashov said that with sufficient investment and good organization the new helicopter could be built within five years. Otherwise, the project may drag on for 20-30 years.
But he was somewhat skeptical about the chances of carrying out the project.
"We have been trying to tackle everything - fifth-generation planes, fifth-generation helicopters, but nothing of this have so far been supplied to the army - today the army still uses helicopters produced in 1970s," Ivashov said.
Russia's main combat helicopter, the Mi-24 Hind, is a third-generation helicopter, and a few Mi-28 Havoc, Ka-50 and Ka-52 Hokum, which have just started to arrive in the Russian army, are fourth-generation helicopters.
MOSCOW, May 13 (RIA Novosti)
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Post by TsarSamuil on Sept 16, 2010 10:58:23 GMT -5
Black Hawk down: US looking to buy Russian helicopters.
RT.com
16 September, 2010, 17:38
With NATO forces advancing on fortified Taliban positions ahead of parliamentary elections, the US Defense Secretary has stated his interest in purchasing Russian helicopters.
Saying that Russian-built helicopters are “well-suited for Afghanistan,” US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said the United States is interested in buying Russian Mi-17 helicopters in the ongoing battle against Taliban forces.
“We are obviously interested in buying Mi-17 helicopters. They are well-suited for Afghanistan. Afghans are familiar with them,” Gates said in an interview with Interfax.
Although the number of Russian-built military aircraft the US military wants to buy is said to be “limited”, Gates admitted that he has received flak from US helicopter manufacturers who are asking why America is interested in buying Russian models.
“We are getting, frankly, some pushback here in the United States by American helicopter manufacturers wondering why we are interested in buying Russian ones,” Gates said. “The buy that we have in mind is pretty limited, but we'll have to work our way through the politics of that.”
Afghanistan is bracing itself for parliamentarian elections this weekend as US and Afghan forces advance against dug-in Taliban positions in order to prevent any attacks on voters.
Both the Taliban and Hizb-i-Islami, a militant insurgent group led by warlord and former Afghan Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, have condemned the elections and urged people to stay home.
Gates said the ability of the US Army to purchase the Mi-17 helicopters depended on Congress.
“I honestly don't know,” the Defense Secretary said. “It really depends on being able to get the money from the Congress."
Russian skepticism
Despite the success in the US-Russian effort in Afghanistan, Russian Permanent Representative to NATO Dmitry Rogozin expressed apprehension of the plan, citing the cost to Russian taxpayers.
“We are ready to take part in [the supply of Russian helicopters, which are in demand by the Afghan army] but we must think about Russian taxpayers. The taxpayers need to know what economic benefits Russia will get in addition to general political declarations of Russian security,” he told Interfax on Wednesday.
Rogozin then said that Russia’s military would suffer without the helicopters.
“We will have to deprive Russian servicemen of these helicopters. Is it not better to deter threats coming from Afghanistan with the strengthening of the Russian army? That is a very serious question, and it is impossible to make further progress without solving the financial problem first,” he said.
Russia wants assist however it can in Afghanistan, and is already supplying firearms and helping with the reconstruction of the Afghan army so that it can independently guarantee the security of Afghanistan and prevent it from becoming a security threat to its neighbors, Rogozin said.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Andres Fogh Rasmussen also proposed that Russia supply Afghanistan with helicopters.
Russia made a detailed reply based on the capacities of Russian helicopter makers.
“Now we need to find a sponsor,” Rogozin said, according to Interfax. “There are certain intentions, and negotiations continue. Some well-to-do countries have sent positive signals.”
The Mil Mi-17 helicopter played a key role in the Soviet war in Afghanistan, where it served as both troop carrier and gunship.
The reason for NATO’s interest in the multi-role Russian-built helicopter is its greater carrying capacity as compared with the US-made Black Hawk.
In 2008, the Royal Thai Army, for example, announced a deal to buy six Mi-17s, marking the first time the Thai military acquired Russian aircraft instead of American.
Flight International quoted the Thai army’s rationale: “We are buying three Mi-17 helicopters for the price of one Black Hawk. The Mi-17 can also carry more than 30 troops, while the Black Hawk [the US military’s standard utility helicopter] could carry only 13 soldiers. These were the key factors behind the decision.”
Thus, it appears that US and Afghan forces are looking for more efficient ways of getting more fighting troops to the action as the fight for Afghanistan continues.
Robert Bridge, RT
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Post by TsarSamuil on Sept 17, 2010 11:09:58 GMT -5
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Post by TsarSamuil on Nov 19, 2010 14:03:29 GMT -5
Bulgaria Gets Last Cougar in Troubled Eurocopter Deal.
Novinite.com
Defense | November 19, 2010, Friday
Bulgaria's Defense Ministry has received the last of the 12th Cougar helicopters that it purchased as part of what became known as a notorious arms deal.
The 12th Cougar helicopter arrived from France on Friday, and was received at the Krumovo base of the Bulgarian Air Force. The Cougar was flown from France by a Bulgarian crew.
According to a statement of the Bulgarian Defense Ministry, the 12 Cougars for the Air Force are to be used for "combat searches and rescue operations."
The deal for the purchase of 12 Cougars and 6 Panther helicopters from Eurocopter became notorious because of the conditions on which the past Bulgarian governments agreed on, according to current Defense Minister Gen. Anyu Angelov.
In August 2010, Bulgaria's government allocated BGN 256 M from the country's fiscal reserve in order to complete several arms deals with foreign companies widely seen as problematic, including the deal with Eurocopter.
The contract with Eurocopter was singed by former Defense Minister Nikolay Svinarov in January 2005. Under it, Bulgaria is supposed to receive 12 Cougar helicopters for its Air Force, and 6 Panther helicopters for its navy at the price of EUR 358 M.
By August, Bulgaria had received 11 Cougar and 3 Panther helicopters, and had paid 60% of the entire deal – about EUR 240 M – which is the guarantee deposit.
Under the contract, if the Bulgarian state fails to pay the entire due sum, the bank servicing the deal can withdraw 60% of the value of each of the helicopters whose delivery has not been paid for from the EUR 240 M deposit made by the Bulgarian government.
Subsequently, the Bulgarian government decided to pay all the money for the Cougars and to ask Eurocopter to renegotiate the deal in order to leave the 3 Panthers. The Defense Ministry has made no formal announcements as to whether the delivery of the remaining three Panther helicopters has been successfully renounced.
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Post by TsarSamuil on Nov 25, 2010 19:29:03 GMT -5
Russia says helicopter deal with Iraq on track.
Russian helicopter deliveries to Iraq are proceeding as planned, a source in the Russian aircraft industry said on Thursday.
His comments came shortly after the U.S. Foreign Policy magazine said Mi-17 troop transport helicopters deliveries were behind schedule.
An article entitled How Not to Buy a Russian Helicopter, published on November 12, said "only eight of the 22 ordered helicopters for Iraq have been delivered so far, well behind schedule and above budget."
The Russian source did not say how many helicopters had been delivered so far.
DUBAI, November 25 (RIA Novosti)
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Post by TsarSamuil on Nov 25, 2010 19:30:09 GMT -5
Russia wants NATO to resolve Afghan helicopter deal.
Russia hopes that NATO will resolve the problems in financing a deal on the delivery of Mi-17 multipurpose helicopters to Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.
"As to the purchase and delivery of helicopters [for Afghanistan], the NATO secretary general made a proposal to us when he was in Moscow in December last year, and we said we were ready to consider it in the context of a joint trust fund, which would ensure shared financing of these deliveries," Lavrov said after a meeting with his Afghan counterpart, Zalmay Rassoul, in Moscow.
"However, some problems have come up on the NATO side, and several options are being considered at present which may help, I hope, to reach an agreement to strengthen the Afghan army with additional Russian helicopters," the minister said.
Russia earlier said it was ready either to supply 21 Mi-17 helicopters under a possible NATO contract or to be part of a U.S.-run tender for supplying helicopters to the Afghan military. Moscow refused to deliver the helicopters free-of-charge.
The Mi-171 is an export version of the Mi-8 Hip helicopter. Currently in production at two factories in the Russian Volga area city of Kazan and the East Siberian city of Ulan-Ude, it features more powerful turboshaft engines and can transport up to 37 passengers.
In May, the United States lifted sanctions against Rosoboronexport, blacklisting it from tendering for U.S. arms deals. The sanctions were imposed in 2006 after the U.S. government accused Rosoboronexport of violating the nuclear non-proliferation regime.
Despite the ban, dozens of Mi-17s have been bought by the United States for Afghanistan and Iraq over the past four years via intermediaries as commercial items, thus avoiding direct contacts with Rosoboronexport.
MOSCOW, November 25 (RIA Novosti)
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Post by TsarSamuil on Dec 5, 2010 17:11:55 GMT -5
Mi-38 helicopter production to begin in 2013.
Russian Helicopters will start production of its new Mi-38 utility transport helicopter in 2013, after resolving engine supply problems with Canadian supplier Pratt & Whitney Canada, Russian state-owned rotorcraft builder Russian Helicopters said on Thursday.
Russian Helicopters'spokesman Roman Kirillov said all problems with Pratt & Whitney have been resolved.
"The company plans to equip the helicopters with both Russian and Canadian engines. We see it as an additional advantage for our buyers. Partners in Russia and the CIS states traditionally opt for Russian-made engines, while partners worldwide may prefer Canadian," he said.
The Mi-38 program has been repeatedly delayed. Russian Helicopters' Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant said last year that production of the new-generation helicopter would begin no earlier than in 2014, as Pratt & Whitney Canada, initially chosen as the preferred engine supplier, was planning to pull out of the project.
Their reluctance to supply the engines was due to a U.S. embargo on sales of dual-purpose equipment to Russia.
The second Mi-38 helicopter prototype has Pratt & Whitney's PW 127/TS engines, but can also be equipped with Russian-made TV7-117V engines. It is also fitted with modified main rotor blades and a new Tranzas "glass cockpit" avionics system.
The helicopter is currently being tested and will later undergo a full flight test cycle.
"The helicopter has already completed 26 ground runups and seven hover and low speed flights over the runway," Russian Helicopters said.
A third prototype is currently being assembled at the Kazan Helicopter Plant in Tatarstan.
The twin-engine Mi-38 can accommodating up to 30 passengers, or carry a payload of five tons, and can be used for civilian and military purposes.
MOSCOW, December 2 (RIA Novosti)
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Post by TsarSamuil on Dec 5, 2010 17:37:52 GMT -5
Ka-52 Alligators to take the sky by storm. RussiaToday | October 30, 2008 www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U7Yl99SAusRussia has launched mass production of the Ka-52 strike helicopter nicknamed the Alligator. Based on the Ka-50 Black Shark, the new version is designed as a commanders vehicle and has several features for combat coordination. ----------------- MI-28 legendary workhorse of Russias Air force. RussiaToday | August 23, 2009 www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zrxl29c8l88Both sturdy and maneuverable, the state-of-the-art MI-28N gunship is to become a tried-and-true workhorse of Russias Air force. Infographic, en.rian.ru/images/16264/97/162649786.jpg |
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Post by TsarSamuil on Jan 2, 2011 16:27:14 GMT -5
Russian Air Force to receive Ka-52 helicopters.
The Russia's Defense Ministry plans to start procuring Ka-52 Alligator helicopters for the national Air Force in 2011, ministry's official spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik said on Sunday.
The Ka-52 is a modification of the basic Ka-50 Hokum model, it is armed with 30-mm cannon, Vikhr (Whirlwind) laser guided missiles, rockets, including S-24s, as well as bombs. The helicopter is also equipped with two radars, one for ground and one for aerial targets and a Samshite nighttime-daytime thermal sighting system.
The development of the Ka-52 started in 1994 in Russia, but its serial production began only in 2008.
Earlier in the day Drik said that the Russian Air Force would receive up to 100 Sukhoi fighter jets by 2015 as well as twenty-five new Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers in the next few years.
Deputy Air Force commander Lt. Gen. Igor Sadofyev pledged in late 2010 that the Russian Air Force will procure over 1,500 new aircraft and significantly increase the number of high-precision weapons in its arsenal by 2020.
MOSCOW, January 2 (RIA Novosti)
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Post by TsarSamuil on Feb 9, 2011 18:40:31 GMT -5
Vid, rt.com/news/ka52-alligator-helicopter-airforce/Russian Air Force gets Alligator choppers. RT.com 9 February, 2011, 12:41 The Russian Air Force is to receive a new batch of a legendary military helicopter. The KA-52 Alligator is equipped with state-of-the art weaponry. The machine is propelled by a coaxial rotor system, a trademark of the Kamov design bureau that developed it. The design gives the helicopter extreme maneuverability – this machine can do aerobatics as a norm. It carries three types of missiles: 12 special anti-tank, four air-to-air and up to 80 unguided air-to-surface. On top of all that, a 30mm cannon with selective supply of either armor-piercing or high-explosive shells. All these aspects make the KA-52 Alligator a real bird of prey. The helicopter’s fully-armored cockpit has seats for two pilots, sitting side-by-side, both can perform the piloting duties. One of the most interesting peculiarities of the KA-52 is that in case of emergency, both pilots can eject from the helicopter if it is shot down. The KA-52 is equipped with a multiplex, multilevel, high-performance computer system that collects information from various sources like a radiolocator, thermal imager, laser range finder, and advanced optical system, and transfers it directly to the pilot’s helmet. The helicopter is capable of detecting and eliminating targets in any weather conditions, around-the-clock, and at any given time of the year. |
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Post by TsarSamuil on May 4, 2011 12:26:33 GMT -5
Ukraine plans helicopter manufacturing capability.
Ukraine is planning to begin manufacture of its own helicopters within a decade, the country's Economic Development and Trade Minster Andrey Kluyev said on Wednesday.
"We make engines for practically all types of helicopters. We have plants which could make structural parts, and most of the components for new Ukrainian helicopters. So we should start their production in the medium term," Kluyev said.
The Ukrainian government has instructed the relevant state agencies to work out a plan for an optimal helicopter production business with state-private partnership, including Motor Sich, the domestic gas turbine maker.
Ukraine's helicopter fleet is in urgent need of replacement, with 85% of the fleet over 10 years old, and more than half over 20 years old Kluyev said.
Motor Sich is currently involved in modernizing the Russian built Mil Mi-8, to give it a seven to ten year life extension. Kluyev has called for a domestic manufacturing capability to be established within that timeframe.
MOSCOW, May 4 (RIA Novosti)
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Post by TsarSamuil on May 24, 2011 14:54:39 GMT -5
Advanced Russian attack helicopter to be dispatched to Far East.
DPA
May 23, 2011, 10:58 GMT
Moscow - Russian forces based in the Far East will receive a new attack helicopter as part of an ongoing Kremlin effort to beef up its air forces, an army officer said Monday.
Four Kamov-52 helicopters, called 'Alligator' by the Russian military, will be delivered to a combat unit in the Ussuri River region on Tuesday, Vladimir Druk, a Russian army spokesman told the Interfax news agency.
The two-seat Kamov-52 aircraft has been in production since 2008. More than a dozen of the helicopters have been produced, but only as test aircraft.
The Kamov aerospace plant Progress will at a minimum produce two Kamov-52 helicopters per month over the next decade, all of which will go to aviation units, the national television channel Rossiya reported.
The Russian army announced in early May it had begun factory production of the Su-35S fighter jet, a high-tech aircraft whose delivery to combat units was delayed for more than 15 years because of government funding shortages.
Russia's two-man leadership team of President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have both spoken out in favour of a strong military equipped with modern weaponry.
They have called fielding high-tech aircraft like the Kamov-52 and Su-35 a top priority, both for national defence and for potential international sale.
The Far East is one of Russia's most sensitive regions because of its proximity to the densely-populated Chinese region of Manchuria, which has in the past been the site of border disputes between the two nations.
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