Flight International - August 18, 2015

46 | Flight International | 18-31 August 2015 flightglobal.com

RUSSIA

SPECIAL REPORT

VLADIMIR KARNOZOV MOSCOW

Russian Helicopters – a strong presence locally and across

the world – faces an engine dilemma due to the Ukraine

crisis, and questions over its strategy in the light market

HEAVY

MATTERS

Russian Helicopters

R

ussian Helicopters is a strong, viable

rotorcraft manufacturer with a firm

footing in the domestic and overseas

markets. But its future prospects are

darkened by events unfolding in neighbour-

ing Ukraine, the company’s longtime majority

supplier of turboshaft engines.

There is little doubt that, in the long run,

Russia can find alternative sources of engines

or develop a local manufacturing capability.

But in the interim, the engines may be in short

supply, hitting sales and deliveries. On the

positive side, the company has recently won

new big deals in China and India which fur-

ther strengthen the manufacturer’s footprint

in these important client countries, whose de-

mand will continue to drive business.

By the total number of shipments in 2014,

Russian Helicopters, with 271, is second only

to Airbus Helicopters, with 471. However, as

the company admits, it delivered eight differ-

ent types to clients from 11 countries last year

• hardly reflective of a broad customer base
  outside of its home country.

CHEAPER OPTION

Despite a substantial rise in list prices over

the past few years, Russian platforms are still

cheaper to buy. This, of course, means that

revenues at the manufacturer are lower than

those of its Western rivals. Besides, with the

concern only recently turning its attentions

to generating income from after-sales sup-

port, a certain lag behind the big four of

AgustaWestland, Airbus Helicopters, Bell

and Sikorsky is understandable.

Geographically, Russian helicopters are

well represented throughout the world. At the

same time, their presence is somewhat one-

sided: most in-service Russian rotorcraft fall

into the heavy class, with maximum take-off

weights (MTOW) of 11-16t. Almost all popu-

lar models from the Mil and Kamov design

houses – including combat, utility, transport,

VIP, naval – fall into this rather narrow niche.

And Mil holds the honour of making the

world’s largest helicopter, the 56t Mi-26T,

which will shortly be produced in an updated

T2 guise.

Below 11t, however, Russian Helicopters’

presence is almost non-existent. This is cer-

tainly a weak point and one that the company

is attempting to address with a three-pronged

assault on the medium-weight class.

This consists of the serially delayed 6.5t

Ka-62 (and its military version, the Ka-60), the

3.6t Ansat and the Ka-226. Seating up to 11

passengers, the Ansat, available for the civil

market with a hydro-mechanical control sys-

tem, rather than fly-by-wire controls as origi-

nally intended, is meant to replace the nine-

seat Mi-2. Although designed in Moscow,

nearly 5,500 copies of the Mi-2 were pro-

duced in Poland, including some that are still

operational. The Ka-226T, certified in March

this year, features Kamov’s characteristic co-

The Ka-52 has

proven a strong

seller for Russian

Helicopters