Russian Helicopters ready to deliver six Mi-171A2 helicopters to a Chinese company

08.11.2018 / Zhuhai
China General Aviation Service reaffirmed its intention to procure a batch of Mi-171A2 helicopters manufactured at the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (U-UAZ). Russian Helicopters Holding Company (part of Rostec State Corporation) is planning to manufacture six rotorcraft and deliver them to the customer by 2022.

Russian Helicopters ready to deliver six Mi-171A2 helicopters to a Chinese company

"For the first time, we are ready to start mass production of Mi-171A2 for a foreign customer. I hope that this contract shall enhance the trust of potential operators in our new helicopter. It represents a giant step in the evolution of Mi-8/17 family and embodies advanced technical solutions that improve comfort, safety and flight performance of this rotorcraft Currently, Mi-171A2 is undergoing the process of certification in China to be finalized next year," highlighted Andrey Boginskiy, Director General of Russian Helicopters Holding Company.

The Mi-171A2 multi-purpose helicopter is one of the most highly anticipated new products of the Russian rotorcraft industry, the result of a major upgrade of the Mi-8/17 family helicopters. The design of Mi-171A2 has undergone more than 80 modifications. The helicopter is equipped with VK-2500PS-03 engines (a civil version of engines installed on Mi-28 combat helicopters) with a digital control system. One of the main distinguishing features of the Mi-171A2 helicopter compared to Mi-8/17 helicopters is the new rotor system. The helicopter features a more effective X-shaped tail rotor and a new main rotor with all-composite blades of an improved aerodynamic configuration. Therefore, thanks to the aerodynamics alone, the thrust of the Mi-171A2 main rotor has increased by more than 700 kg, which has had a positive impact on the helicopter's flight performance.

In August 2017, the helicopter received a Category A certificate from the Federal Air Transport Agency of the Russian Federation, which means meeting the most stringent requirements to flight safety set for civilian helicopters. In January 2018, Mi-171A2 successfully proved the operation feasibility in severe climatic conditions at an ambient temperature of as low as - 50°C.

JSC Russian Helicopters (part of Rostec State Corporation) is one of the world leaders in helicopter industry, the only developer and manufacturer of helicopters in Russia. The holding company was established in 2007. The head office is located in Moscow. The holding company is comprised of five helicopter plants, two design bureaus, enterprises for production and maintenance of components, aircraft repair plants and a service company providing after-sales support in Russia and abroad. Among the buyers of the holding company's products are the Defense Ministry of Russia, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, EMERCOM of Russia, and other state customers, Gazprom Avia and UTair airlines, as well as major Russian and foreign companies.


Rostec Corporation is a Russian corporation that was established in 2007 to facilitate the development, production and export of high-tech industrial products designed for civilian and military applications. The Corporation comprises over 700 organizations that are currently part of eleven holding companies operating in the military-industrial complex and four holding companies working in civilian industry, as well as over 80 directly managed organizations. Rostec's portfolio includes well-known brands such as AVTOVAZ, KAMAZ, Kalashnikov Concern, Russian Helicopters, VSMPO AVISMA, UralVagonZavod, etc. Rostec companies are located in 60 constituent entities of the Russian Federation and supply products to more than 100 countries. In 2017 the consolidated revenue of Rostec reached 1 trillion 589 billion rubles, while the consolidated net income and EBITDA amounted to 121 and 305 billion rubles respectively. In 2017 the average salary in the Corporation was 46,800 rubles. According to Rostec's strategy, the main objective of the Corporation is to ensure that Russia has a technological advantage in highly competitive global markets. Rostec's key objectives include the introduction of a new techno-economic paradigm and digitalization of Russian economy.