Cargo hook for Ansat helicopters

The external cargo hook will carry a maximum load of 1,500 kilograms (Photo by Leonid Faerberg / Transport-Photo Images)

A joint project to design an external cargo hook for the Kazan Helicopters Ansat light twin rotorcraft was announced at HeliRussia 2017 exhibition by Moscow Region-based helicopter club MDAeroGroup. Expected to be developed and certified this year, the appliance will be based on similar products by US company Onboard Systems, which MDAeroGroup has been officially representing in Russia since 2011.

The cargo hook will come with a hydraulic load weigh and release system. The load indicator will be connected to a microprocessor, which will record information sent from load cells located on the hook, feeding it onto a cockpit screen. Data supplied by the indicator will be stored in a system supplied with an independent power source. A hook-equipped Ansat will be able to carry up to 1,500 kilograms externally.

The cargo hook development is part of MDAeroGroup’s joint project with Onboard Systems and Kazan Helicopters, which is acting as the customer. MDAeroGroup is responsible for intermediary services, including translation of technical documentation. The new system will be developed by Onboard Systems with an input from Kazan Helicopters. Development and certification are set for Q3 2017, to be followed by series production in Q4.

MDAeroGroup says there is currently no external cargo hook system available for Ansat helicopters.

By Evgenia Kolyada