YEKATERINBURG, August 20 (AVN) - The Ural optical and mechanical plant (UOMZ) and Israel's IAI-Division-Taman company will sign a contract on the launch of joint production of the VOR hyrostabilised night-time optical electronic system in autumn this year, an official of the UOMZ public relations department said on Monday.
The plant's specialists will soon be sent to Israel to study technologies and technical documents of IAI-Division-Taman, the official told the Military News Agency. The contract will be mediated by the Rosoboronexport state-owned arms trader.
The two companies signed an agreement on establishing joint production of promising on-board avionics for helicopters at the UOMZ during the MAKS 2001 international aerospace show in the Moscow region last week. The plant believes that the agreement is not only a successful commercial deal, but also a solution to a legal collision. For several years IAI modernised Russian combat helicopters in the inventory of foreign nations without proper authorisation. However it failed to achieve serious results and decided to start official co-operation with Russian arms makers.
The head of the IAI delegation contacted the UOMZ leadership at MAKS show proposing co-operation. Having secured approval of the talks by Rosoboronexport, the parties agreed to launch joint production of VOR systems and discussed terms of further sales on the global market.
According to the official, the MI-8 Hip helicopter fitted with the hyrostabilised optical-electronic system made by the UOMS is among the few choppers exhibited at MAKS that have been in true battle.
The helicopter was delivered to the show from the North Caucasus, where MI-8 choppers fitted with the plant's system have been involved in the anti-guerrilla operation for more than two years. However the entire spectrum of such system was exhibited to the general public for the first time at MAKS. Thanks to the systems, combat aircraft became operational 24 hours a day and acquired night vision, which enhanced their combat capacities.