HeliRussia 2016: what’s new in Russian helicopter industry

HeliRussia 2016 opening ceremony // Photo by Leonid Faerberg / transport-photo.com

More than 200 companies are taking part in the 9th International Helicopter Industry Exhibition HeliRussia 2016, including 45 from 16 countries outside Russia.

At the opening ceremony, that took place yesterday, the deputy minister of industry and trade Gleb Nikitin stressed that the geography of participants has expanded significantly this year. “This means that our colleagues have demonstrated increasing interest in working with Russian companies and that other factors connected with geopolitics and sanctions now have less meaning,” Nikitin emphasized.

This year’s display features third prototype of the new Mi-38 helicopter
(Photo by Fyodor Borisov / transport-photo.com)

Inside the country, the cumulative fleet of rotorcraft has increased by 70 aircraft last year, while the total flight time amounted to 360,000 hours, said the Helicoper Industry Association’s chairman Mikhail Kazachkov. Despite the challenges of the ongoing economic downtrun, rotorcraft operators, OEMs, suppliers and MROs continue to keep the industry alive.

HeliRussia 2016’s special focus is on unmanned aerial systems. More than 15 unmanned aircraft are on display. The final day of the exhibition will feature a drone race, with participation open to professionals and amateurs. The business program features discussions of other problems facing the industry, such as counteraction to supplies of counterfeit parts and the effectiveness of the current measures being taken in this respect. HeliRussia also includes a traditional international forum on aircraft design.

Prototype of the latest iteration of the Mi-8/17 family, the Mi-171A2  (Photo by Fyodor Borisov / transport-photo.com)