MOSCOW. May 22 (Interfax-AVN) - The first two contracts for the delivery of Ansat light-haul multirole helicopters, a product of the Kazan Helicopter Plant, have been signed, an Interfax-AVN correspondent has reported from the signing ceremony.
He said the contracts for the delivery of five helicopters were signed on Friday, on the sidelines of the HeliRussia-2015 helicopter show in Moscow.
The customers are Tulpar Helicopters and Vektor Aviation Industry Company.
"We are glad that Ansat has found its first buyers and hope to expand our book of orders shortly, thanks to the interest of foreign helicopter operators," Russian Helicopters Holding General Director Alexander Mikheyev has said.
In turn, Valery Pashko, Marketing and Sales Director of Russian Helicopter Holding's Kazan Helicopter Plant, told Interfax-AVN that the contracts envisaged the delivery of helicopters in the third and fourth quarters of 2016, with the right to pre-term delivery.
"Our helicopter is a worthy rival of Western analogues by the price-quality ratio. As a rule, Russian helicopters are much cheaper than their foreign rivals, and their performance characteristics are quite comparable or even better," Pashko said.
He noted that the plant had not had commercial Ansat contracts before. Until now, the Russian Defense Ministry, the Federal Security Service and other law enforcement agencies had been the only buyers of Ansat-U helicopters.
Ansat helicopters have been certified for transporting passengers and performing medical evacuation, Pashko added.
The chopper caught the eye of several foreign delegations, including those from Thailand, Argentina, Venezuela and Armenia, at the HeliRussia 2015 show, he said.
"We are holding preliminary negotiations with a number of Russian and foreign companies. So, I do not rule out that we may sign more contracts soon enough," Pashko said.