ASTANA. Sept 7 (Interfax-AVN) - Kazakhstan is planning to buy about 20 MI-8 Hip military transport helicopters (export designation MI-17) from Russia, the Kazakh prime minister's press service has reported.
An agreement to this effect was reached at a meeting between Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov and a representative of Russia's Kazan helicopter plant (KVZ) in Astana on Tuesday.
"Four MI-17 helicopter gunships will be bought for Kazakh uniformed agencies before the end of the year, and in the next two years, the number of procured helicopters will reach 20," the report reads.
"A group of high-ranking KVZ officials" is expected to arrive in Astana in a few days "to hold the final leg of talks on helicopter supplies to Kazakhstan," it says. The talks with KVZ will be held to implement Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev's instruction issued at the national Security Council session on Monday.
"The country needs up-to-date rotary-wing aircraft that are capable of withstanding sallies of international terrorism, if needed, and countering drug trafficking," Akhmetov was quoted as saying.
The KVZ official said at the meeting that "the MI-8 program is the largest helicopter program in the world." "Nearly 12,000 helicopters of this type have been built, and more than 150 modifications developed. MI-8 (MI-17) helicopters are in the inventory of 70 countries and are operated in nearly all nations of the world," he said.
MI-8 (MI-17) helicopters are mass-produced by the Ulan-Ude aircraft plant.