Holding Russian Helicopters has supplied to China a heavy transport helicopter Mi-26TS. The machine is purchased for Shandong province, where works to save and to enlarge forestry are made. The helicopter will be used for fires control, transportation of equipment and oversized cargo.
“Cooperation with Chinese companies has great meaning for the holding, as China is one of our strategic partners with whom we have not only trade relations, but also carry out long-term projects. It is hard to overestimate the work of such a large and reliable machine as the Mi-26TC in those cases, when it deals with emergencies, ” said Deputy General Director of Marketing and Business Development Alexander Shcherbinin.
The contract for the supply of heavy machinery was signed by Russian holding and Chinese company Lectern Aviation Supplies in 2014. A week ago a helicopter, manufactured at the plant “Rostvertol”, carried out the flight from enterprise’s flight test station. It is planned ,that it will proceed on the route Rostov-on-Don – Saratov – Ufa – Chelyabinsk – Omsk – Novosibirsk – Krasnoyarsk – Bratsk – Chita – Hailar. Its arrival is expected in China on the 2nd of July.
This is the fourth similar machine purchased by Chinese entities. Currently, three helicopters Mi-26TC are exploited to China by commercial and state-owned companies. Two helicopters are in the helicopter’s fleet Qingdao Helicopter. One more helicopter is used by China Flying Dragon General Aviation.
Mi-26TC (certified according to China standards of flights) is unique helicopter, where cargo can be carried inside the cabin or on external sling with weight up to 20 tons. There is no such helicopter in the world, that can be compared with the Mi-26T. Helicopter repeatedly proved its effectiveness during the fires in China.
Helicopter Mi-26T and its military version Mi-26 were designed at Moscow Helicopter Plant of M.L.Mill and are in mass production at “Rostvertol”. In 2015 Mi-26T2, an updated version of the helicopter , started to be produced .The helicopter is equipped with modern avionics. It is able to transport up to 20 tons of cargo inside the cargo cabin or on external sling. Reducing the number of crew members from five in the Mi-26T to three in Mi-26T2 has decreased direct operating costs and expenses for training and retraining of flight personnel. Due to its construction, equipment and Mi-26T2 systems it can be exploited at any time of day, in good or bad weather conditions, over the plains, hills and mountains. The helicopter doesn’t require special maintenance of the aerodrome facilities and is capable of sustained autonomous basing. The new development corresponds to recent trends in the global aviation industry and is economically profitable.
“Rostvertol” is the company of holding Russian Helicopters. The plant produces a wide range of helicopters “Mi” and carries out repair and modernization of helicopters, delivery of aviation equipment and the provision of services. Currently, “Rostvertol” produces new-generation of combat helicopter Mi-28N “Night Hunter” (Mi-28NE in export version), Mi-28NE with dual control; helicopter Mi-35M with fire support and the most multipurpose and most load-lifting helicopters Mi-26, Mi-26T, Mi-26T2 in the world.