The 6th International Helicopter Salon HeliRussia took place in Moscow last week. The scale of this exhibition is growing from year to year, although this is not manifested in all areas. For example, this year the exhibition was attended by 205 companies from 18 countries (including 165 Russian ones) - only four companies more than participated in HeliRussua-2012. However, even with such a slight increase in the number of participants, the salon continues to grow. For example, this year the event took place in two halls of the Crocus Expo exhibition complex, and not in one, as it was before.
Perhaps one of the brightest events of the last exhibition was the opening of the first heliport. On May 17, Russian Helicopter Systems, together with Russian Helicopters, opened the country's first mini-airport designed to receive helicopters. This heliport is located on the roof of the exhibition center and has everything you need for full-fledged work: it has landing areas, a waiting room, check-in counters and even a security checkpoint. The opened heliport already has its own helicopter taxi service, and besides, it is ready to accept equipment from other airlines.
The exhibition was attended by a rather interesting exhibit - the Ka-226T helicopter of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. This machine is interesting in that it became the first serial helicopter of this model. Not so long ago, factory tests of this helicopter ended and a few days before the start of the exhibition it was handed over to the aviators of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The Ka-226T helicopter continues the previously laid down ideology of a rotorcraft with modular equipment. Thus, the sample presented at the exhibition is equipped with a special cabin with medical equipment. At the end of the exhibition, the first serial Ka-226T went to its emergency department in Kazan.
Helicopter Ka-226T EMERCOM of Russia
It is noteworthy that more than one medical helicopter was demonstrated at HeliRussia-2013. Eurocopter also showed a vehicle of this purpose. Not far from the Ka-226T, in the same showroom, there was an EC145 with characteristic orange-blue stripes on the sides, also belonging to the Russian Emergencies Ministry. This car has been used by Moscow rescuers for several years and during its career it managed to deliver many victims of road accidents and other incidents to hospitals.
Another full-size exhibit from European helicopter builders was the new Eurocopter EC130 T2. This passenger helicopter was upgraded with new Turbomecca Ariel 2D engines and a number of design changes. As a result, the EC130 T2 has become one of the quietest helicopters in the world. The advantage in the form of low noise of engines and propellers is actively used by the manufacturer for advertising purposes. Eurocopter expects the quiet EC130 T2 to appeal to carriers who have to operate helicopter lines over or near populated areas.
Eurocopter EC130 T2
Foreign helicopter manufacturers have already understood the prospects of the Russian market and therefore are trying in every possible way to attract customers from Russia. Thus, the official representative of the American company Bell Helicopter Textron in Russia - the company Jet Transfer - signed a contract with the Russian "Transas". According to this document, the Bell 407 and Bell 429 helicopters supplied to Russia will be equipped with navigation equipment compatible with two satellite systems at once: GPS and GLONASS. Thus, the firms are going to increase the prospects of Bell helicopters in the Russian market. It is worth noting that one of those helicopters that affect the terms of contracts was present at the exhibition. At the HeliRussia-2013 showroom, Jet Transfer showed the Bell 407 rotorcraft.
Helicopter Bell 429
The Italian company AgustaWestland, together with Russian Helicopters, demonstrated the AW139 helicopter at HeliRussia. This machine is not new - ten years have passed since the beginning of its operation. Nevertheless, the specimen shown at the exhibition is of great interest. The fact is that it became the first helicopter of this type, assembled not in Italy, but in Russia, at the HeliVert plant. The assembly of the AW139 at the joint venture between Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland in Tomilino near Moscow began last year, and there are already contracts for the production of four dozen helicopters, the first of which recently left the shop. Probably, in the future, the order book of the HeliVert enterprise will increase. It is also impossible to exclude such a development of events in which Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland will agree on the assembly of other types of helicopters.
While some foreign helicopter manufacturers are trying to share the market for new technology, others are relying on helicopters that are already in operation. Thus, the Ukrainian company Motor Sich presented its project MSB-2, which is actually a deep modernization of the still Soviet Mi-2 helicopter. At one time, almost five and a half thousand Mi-2s were built, but now the number of operated machines of this model is only a few percent of their total number. The MSB-2 helicopter is supposed to be equipped with two new AI-450M engines with a capacity of 465 hp each, which will give a significant increase in flight characteristics. In addition, during the modernization of the Mi-2, it received a number of major design changes, as well as new electronic equipment. According to the General Director of Motor Sich V. Boguslaev, the MSB-2 is a completely new helicopter, for which the Mi-2 has become only a prototype.
Mi-2MSB2 MOTOR SICH
To date, the scale of the international exhibition HeliRussia has become one of the largest such helicopter events. It should be admitted that multimillion-dollar contracts for the supply of equipment have not yet been signed at the Moscow salon, but it has already become a popular platform for showing its developments and their promotion to the market. The exposition of the last week's exhibition was not limited to the helicopters described above. Also, a large number of commercial offers were presented in the form of booklets, leaflets and other promotional materials. Probably in the future there will be even more helicopters, other display samples and advertisements at HeliRussia. But it will be possible to verify this assumption only in a year, at the international salon HeliRussia-2014.
Light multipurpose helicopter ANSAT
Robinson R-22
Eurocopter EC130 T2
AW139
AW119Ke
AgustaWestland AW139 twin-engine multipurpose helicopter
