MOSCOW. May 23 (Interfax-AVN) - The Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant, which forms part of the Russian Helicopters holding company, is planning to complete the assembly of two Mikoyan Mi-171A1 helicopters, intended for Brazil, within the next four months, and is hoping for more orders from Latin American countries.
"The contract for the supply of two helicopters to Brazil was signed earlier this year. The machines are already being assembled. The first helicopter will be ready in August, the construction of the second one is due to be completed in September," aviation plant's general director Leonid Belykh told Interfax-AVN on Friday.
This is a very serious contract with a prospect for further development, he said. "To explore the market one has to show oneself from a good side, and to show oneself from a good side, one has to meet all the requirements for certification, a service center, which is what Russian Helicopters is doing now. Everything is going to plan," Belykh said.
Rostvertol is already supplying its Mi-35 combat helicopters to Brazil, he recalled.
It was reported earlier that Russia's Mi-171A1 multi-purpose transport helicopters won a tender conducted in November 2010 by Brazilian state oil and gas company Petrobras for a contract to conduct operations in the Amazon Basin. In December 2010, a contract was signed with Helipark Taxi Aereo for the supply of the Kamov Ka-32A11VS medium-size multi-purpose helicopter.