MOSCOW. July 28 (Interfax-AVN) - The Moscow-based Mil helicopter plant has increased the volume of work on helicopter development and upgrade 10 times in the past four years, the plant's director general Yuri Andrianov said in an interview with the Vedomosti newspaper published on Monday.
The plant's profits amounted to RUB1.2bn in 2002, which is a considerable growth from RUB500m in 2001, Andrianov said. "Thus, we climbed from USD17m to USD35m. At the same time, the volume of work increased 20 times in several spheres such as helicopters' service life extension," he noted.
"We have managed to get rid of shadowy business nearly in full in this sphere in the past two years thanks to assistance from the Russian Military-Technical Cooperation Committee and Rosoboronexport (the major state-owned arms trader - Interfax- AVN)," the director general said.
The plant mostly achieves the growth in the volume of work through R&D, he went on. Its share amounted to 78 percent in 2001 and 94 percent in 2002.
"The work not related to research totals only six percent. This is a conscious strategy that allows us to get benefits. We have consciously rejected sale of "metal", though we had such chances, and the position not to deal with trade and repairs is shared by the plant's management, board of directors and shareholders," Andrianov said.
The plant is working on the MI-28N Havoc, comprehensive upgrade of the MI-8 Hip, and various variants of MI-24 Hind upgrade in the framework of the state defense order. As to civilian projects, the main attention is paid to the international program of producing the MI-38 helicopter and to upgrading the MI-171/172 Hip helicopter. Upgrade of the MI-2 Hoplite and MI-26T Halo has started with the goal to decrease their crew and render them the nighttime operation capability. The work is funded by the plant and by the Rostvertol company. The plant is also funding other project.
The Mil plant is the chief developer of MI helicopters. Russian helicopter plants are currently mass-producing the MI-24 Hind combat helicopter (export-oriented variety MI-35), as well as the MI-8, MI-17, MI-26 and MI-34 helicopters. The MI-28 combat helicopter and MI-38 and MI-54 transport helicopters are on different stages of development.
The state represented by the Property Ministry owns 31 percent of the plant's shares, the Inter-Regional Investment Bank owns a bot over 30 percent, the Rostvertol plant about 13 percent, United Technologies (U.S.-based producer of Sikorsky helicopter) about 9.6 percent and minor shareholders own the rest of the shares.