ARSENYEVO, Far Eastern Russia, September 22 (AVN) - The local Progress aviation plant is to complete repairs of two MI-24 Hind fire support helicopters in December according to its contract with the Defence Ministry, Viktor Pechenkin, director general of the plant, told the Military News Agency.
Then the classification board of the Defence Ministry will decide upon giving appropriate certificate allowing the Progress to repair this type of helicopters. If the plant receives this certificate, it will be able to get more orders in this field.
As a whole, the plant badly needs orders for the beginning of 2001. There are no signed contracts for 2001 so far. Export supplies of MI-34 Hermit choppers and SP-55M planes, orders for repairs of MI-24s are not large and cannot fill the plant's production capacity in the first half of 2001.
This is a sorrow because this year was successful for the Progress, Pechenkin said. "We managed to do everything that was planned concerning the SP-55M sporting aeroplane," he added. Two planes were supplied to customer in Moscow for further upgrading. Three more planes are being prepared for departure. Currently the plant is working out a project for building eight planes next year. Besides it resumed construction of MI-34s. Two of them will be sent to customer in December.