Russian Helicopters completes its Southeast Asian demo tour

Mi-171A2 and Ansat helicopters, manufactured by the Russian Helicopters holding company (part of State Corporation Rostec), completed a demonstration tour of the countries of Southeast Asia. Attendees of Airshow China in Zhuhai, China, as well as potential customers from Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia, familiarized themselves with the capabilities of both aircraft. Full-scale demonstrations in these countries of the latest civil technology made it possible to reach specific agreements and create an extensive portfolio of orders for them.

The final stop on the tour was a presentation in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. The Russian helicopters made demonstration flights over the Sepang F1 International Circuit Formula 1 track, and the holding’s experts told guests about the key competitive advantages of the Mi-171A2 and Ansat and presented the after-sales service program.

The Ansat and Mi-171A2 went on demonstration tour of Southeast Asian countries after Airshow China, where they took part in the flight program. The helicopters covered almost 5,000 kilometers. In total, more than a thousand guests from state and commercial helicopter operators visited the flight shows. The helicopters exhibited their flight characteristics and their efficiency of use in high temperatures and humidity close to 100%. This fact was repeatedly noted by operators in the region during demonstration flights.

“The applications received over the month of our demo tour to supply of over 70 Russian helicopters worth more than half a billion dollars to the countries of the Asia-Pacific region over the next three years are vivid evidence of the competitiveness and relevance of Russian civilian helicopter technology abroad, a logical result of comprehensive government measures to support Russian civil export to world markets,” said Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov.

“These are both hard and soft contracts. For example, in China, a contract was signed for 20 Ansat helicopters for the Association of Disaster Medicine of China. The remaining 50 helicopters are planned for delivery to Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia,” said Russian Helicopters CEO Andrey Boginsky.

According to Boginsky, demand for civilian helicopters in Southeast Asian countries may amount to 420 helicopters in the next ten years. “We are counting on a substantial share of this market, and the results of the demo tour suggest that we have every reason for this,” Boginsky said.

“Southeast Asia is one of the world’s fastest growing industrial and financial regions. The demand for civilian helicopters in the countries of the region could amount to 420 helicopters over the next decade,” said Anatoly Serdyukov, Rostec's Aviation Cluster Industrial Director. “It is strategically important for Rostec to strengthen its positions here in the helicopter industry. The agreements and arrangements reached in the framework of the demo-tour are the best confirmation of the potential of our machines.”

Ansat is a lightweight twin-engine multipurpose helicopter that can be used for the transport of goods and passengers, surveillance, search and rescue, and fire and medical evacuation operations. It has the largest cabin in its class of helicopters, and the cabin easily and quickly transforms to the configuration necessary. Ansat is certified for use in hot climates.

The Mi-171A2 is a mid-class multipurpose helicopter that combines the unique operating experience of Mi-8/17 helicopters with the latest developments of the holding. It can be used effectively and safely day or night, in high mountains, at low or high temperatures, high humidity and over water.