This week in France, the international aerospace show Paris Air Show 2015 is taking place. During this event, all the leading companies in the world will present their new developments. The Russian aviation industry is represented by several organizations, including the Russian Helicopters holding. The holding's stand will present various developments, both already known to potential customers, and new ones, information about which has appeared relatively recently.
Several new rotorcraft are to become the central elements of the Russian Helicopters exposition. The holding hopes to interest potential buyers with its new developments and to sell a certain amount of equipment in the future. Specialists and the public will be able to familiarize themselves with new Russian developments in the field of helicopter engineering in pavilion 2 at stand C-198.
The Russian Helicopters holding wishes not only to sell its products, but also to develop cooperation with foreign colleagues. The organization's press service quotes Russian Helicopters CEO Alexander Mikheev, who believes that the exchange of knowledge and experience between various industry enterprises leads to an increase in the functional efficiency and safety of promising technology. Thus, it is planned to expand cooperation with other organizations in the industry, thereby making the most efficient use of their own and others' experience.
Experienced Mi-26T2. Photo Russianhelicopters.aero
According to the press service of Russian Helicopters, at the current exhibition in Le Bourget, special emphasis is placed on several new Russian-made helicopters. This is a heavy transport helicopter Mi-26T2, as well as medium Ka-32A11BC and Mi-171A2. All these machines, according to the holding, are able to attract the attention of foreign customers and become the subject of new export contracts.
The new Mi-26T2 is a worthy addition to the range of Russian-made heavy helicopters. Serial construction of these machines started in May this year. The Mi-26T2 is a further development of the Mi-26T helicopter, already well known to domestic and foreign customers. While maintaining the main positive qualities of its predecessors, the new Mi-26T2 has a number of important advantages. So, due to the use of modern avionics, it was possible to reduce the crew. Instead of 5 people, 2-3 can fly the new helicopter. Also, the new equipment allows the helicopter to fly at night and in adverse weather conditions. In addition, the project was developed taking into account the possibility of long-term autonomous deployment. In most cases, maintenance of the Mi-26T2 does not require special aerodrome equipment.
Having a number of advantages over the basic Mi-26T, the new modification of the heavy domestic helicopter retains its main positive features. Maximum payload remains the same: up to 20 tons of payload can be transported in the cargo compartment or on an external sling. The flight characteristics of the Mi-26T and Mi-26T2 are almost the same.
The second highlight of the program at the stand of the Russian helicopter-building holding is the multi-purpose Ka-32A11BC. This machine is not new, since the first export contracts for its supply appeared in the late nineties. Nevertheless, the Ka-32A11BC helicopter is still of great interest to foreign and domestic customers. Similar equipment in versions for performing various tasks was delivered to Spain, China, Portugal, Japan and other countries. Also, a certain number of such machines are operated in Russia.
Helicopter Ka-32A11BC EMERCOM of Russia. Photo Russianhelicopters.aero
The Ka-32A11BC helicopter is designed to carry various cargoes in the cockpit and on an external sling, to participate in search and rescue operations, etc. Depending on the current task, such a machine can carry up to 5 tons of cargo. The coaxial rotor design provides a number of important advantages over classical helicopters, from smaller parking dimensions to high maneuverability. The manufacturer also notes the high assigned resource of the helicopter - 32 thousand hours. All these features have already allowed the Ka-32A11BC to become the subject of several contracts. In the future, the construction and delivery of such equipment is expected to continue.
Also in Le Bourget, Russian Helicopters will show a new version of the Mi-171A2 helicopter. This car was previously shown at various exhibitions, but it is at the Paris Air Show 2015 that it is planned to show a new modification. At the stand of the Russian holding, there is a model of the Mi-171A2 helicopter in a VIP transport configuration. Thus, the number of variants of such equipment available for ordering is constantly increasing.
An experienced Mi-171A2 helicopter has been undergoing tests since last autumn. At the moment, all checks are coming to an end, after which it will be possible to deploy mass production in the interests of various customers. The Mi-171A2 is a further development of the Mi-8/17 family, but it has a lot of differences from the older technology. Due to improved flight characteristics and new digital on-board equipment, the Mi-171A2 helicopter is expected to be able to solve various tasks related to the transportation of goods or passengers. The creation of various modifications, differing in the configuration of the cargo-passenger cabin and other elements, should expand the scope of application of such equipment.
Experienced Mi-171A2. Photo Russianhelicopters.aero
It is expected that the demonstration of developments at the show in Le Bourget will attract new potential customers, which will result in new contracts for the supply of Russian-made helicopters. The emergence of new contracts, in turn, will have a positive effect on the utilization of enterprises that are part of the Russian Helicopters holding, and will have other positive consequences. At the same time, the organization is already showing good performance indicators.
In mid-April, Russian Helicopters published data on the financial side of its activities in 2014. The total revenue of the holding for the last year exceeded 141.5 billion rubles, the total profit - 20.7 billion. It is noteworthy that the growth of profit in comparison with 2013 amounted to 118.6%, revenue increased by 23%, and EBITDA - by 79%. The share of orders from Asian countries also increased. Last year, Russian Helicopters earned almost 73 billion rubles in Asian markets (45.42 billion in 2013).
Nevertheless, there was a serious (32.4%) reduction in the portfolio of firm orders. Also, the financial indicators, calculated in rubles, were positively affected by the exchange rate fluctuations that began last year. Thus, while some indicators deteriorate and others improve, Russian Helicopters as a whole retains its position in the market.
As part of the Paris Air Show 2015 in Le Bourget, the Russian Helicopters holding plans to show various developments, including several new machines. The main emphasis is on the Mi-26T2, Ka-32A11BC and Mi-171A2 helicopters. It is expected that the demonstration of this equipment at the French show in the near future will lead to the beginning of negotiations, and then to the signing of contracts for the production and supply of such equipment. The stand of Russian Helicopters, where everyone can get acquainted with the latest developments of the holding, will be open until the end of the show - until 21 June.
