MOSCOW. Oct 27 (Interfax-AVN) - R.E.T. Kronshtadt from the St. Petersburg Tranzas Group has almost completed the production of helicopter trainers for Venezuela, company general director Yevgeny Komrakov told Interfax-AVN.
"All three helicopter trainers are practically built. We will start their delivery early next year," he said at the INTERPOLITEX 2011 show in Moscow.
Earlier reports said that Tranzas would build six Mil Mi-171, Mi-17V5, Mi-25 and Mi-35 helicopter trainers for Venezuela. Three of them will be of high-mobility D class and three will be immobile.
The trainers of D class make it possible to train a pilot without a single training flight. They cut the training costs several times and build up flight security.
According to unofficial information, a helicopter trainer of D class costs about $10 million.
Venezuela is building a center to offer modern trainers and classes for Army aviation and Air Force pilots.