Russian Helicopters is stepping up efforts to strengthen its base of international partners. The move is in part driven by the fact that it can no longer count on Ukrainian engine suppliers Motor-Sich and Ivchenko-Progress in the wake of ongoing political tensions.
Alexander Mikheyev, the group’s general manager, says that international airshows, such as Farnborough 2014, present a convenient opportunity to hold meetings and discussions with Russian Helicopters’s European partners, including Turbomeca and AgustaWestland, that have been deeply involved in various industrial programs on Russian soil.
The group is a holding company uniting all Russian design houses and manufacturing plants specializing in rotorcraft. It reported 2013 revenues of 138.3 billion rubles ($4.1 billion), representing a 10-percent increase over the previous year. This is despite the fact that the 275 deliveries last year were 15 aircraft fewer than in. Nine different types were shipped to customers in 10 countries.
“Our main goal now is to actualize some new projects whose foundations have been laid during the past few years,” said Mikheyev. “We consider Russian Helicopters to be a highly innovative company.”
The company said it is not concerned about the threat of economic sanctions by the U.S. and European Union against Russian aerospace firms. “So far the threat of sanctions has not created a real base for would-be disruption of earlier concluded contracts. This applies to state defense orders, civil helicopters and contracts involving military technical cooperation with other countries,” Mikheyev said. “Our European partners have been following the contractual terms and fulfilling their contractual obligations. In particular, this applies to the engines supplied by Turbomeca of France and various items from other European vendors.”
The Russian government has developed measures to locate substitutes for imported end-user products and vendor items. The immediate solution for replacing the Ukrainian-made TV3-117 turboshaft-series engines is to increase output of the vastly similar VK2500 at Russia’s Klimov company in St. Petersburg. The smaller AI-450 turboshaft from Ukraine can be replaced with Austrian-built piston and diesel engines.
In the long term, French-built engines are also seen as a solution. Turbomeca’s Arrius 2G1 turboshaft has been selected to power the Kamov Ka-226 and the Ardiden 3G for the Ka-62. The RTM322 is being considered for the high-speed Russian Advanced Commercial Helicopter (Rachel) and can also be fitted onto the Mi-17/Mi-35
Italy’s AgustaWestland is seen as a potential strategic partner on light helicopters. “It is not that easy for us to pursue national lightweight rotorcraft programs [on our own], partly because the Mil and Kamov design houses are loaded to capacity with other projects. We [would do well to] turn foreign competitors into partners,” Mikheyev explained. A company called Helivert is already assembling the AW139 in Russia under a joint venture between Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland.
“We need to keep our traditional market sectors,” Mikheyev continued. “In terms of money, we hold 14 percent of the world’s market share for rotorcraft. Our goal for the next two-to-three years is to increase to 18-to-20 percent and to develop platforms and products that will ride the tide of success. As for lightweight rotorcraft, we need to focus on a union with a global maker.”
Rostervertol Anniversary
On July 1, Russian Helicopters subsidiary Rostvertol marked its 75th anniversary. For the past 58 years, the factory at Rostov-on-Don has been producing a variety of Mil helicopters, including the Mi-35, the Mi-28M and the Mi-26T.
The Mi-45M multifunction strike helicopter, along with the earlier Mi-24 version, is in service with the Russian military and also has enjoyed export success. The Mi-28N is a modern attack helicopter and the first overseas order for the Mi-28NE export version has come from the Iraqi air force.
The Mi-26T heavylifter features a glass cockpit that has allowed operators to reduce crew numbers from the usual five to just two. A version offering round-the-clock capability has been designated as the Mi-26T2.
