T

he term “Russian-made helicopters” often conjures up images of tough, utilitarian and mostly militaristic rotorcraft that are used for both combat and transport missions.

Such images are fairly accurate, as most of the helicopters made by Russia, and previously by the former Soviet Union, indeed fall in the transport and combat categories.

Russian Helicopters, a holding company, is the world’s largest designer and manufacturer of helicopters, especially in the medium and heavy categories, for both civilian and military missions.

The holding company manages Kamov and Mil Moscow, two design bureaus that also manufacture their own helicopters.

Russian Helicopters also oversees several companies that manufacture helicopters designed by Kamov and Mil Moscow, such as Rostvertol and Kazan Helicopters.

With its strong presence in the military market, Russian Helicopters is now planning to expand its market share in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, by targeting the civilian market.

“We have all the helicopters required by the Indonesian market,” Russian Helicopters CEO Andrey Boginsky told The Jakarta Post recently.

Boginsky was speaking on the sidelines of a demo tour at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, Selangor, just next to Kuala Lumpur International Airport, on Dec. 3.

The demo tour aimed to promote Ansat and Mi-171A2 in several Southeast Asian countries, following their showcase at the Zhuhai Air Show in China.

The two helicopters flew to and were part of a demo tour in Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Pattaya, Thailand, before arriving in Sepang, in a trip of some 5,000 kilometers in total.

The Mi-171A2 is the latest iteration of the venerable Mi-17 medium helicopter, combining the proven reliability of its older sibling with new technologies. Its twin, the Ansat, is Kazan’s first in-house design, and capable of carrying seven passengers and a pilot.

Boginsky told the Post that Indonesia could use the Mi-171A2 for firefighting and search and rescue (SAR) missions while Ansat was suitable for emergency medical services (EMS) and passenger services. “In my opinion, we can satisfy the requirements of your country,” Boginsky said.

Prior to the New Order regime, Indonesia had Mi-4 light helicopters and Mi-6 heavy helicopters. The Indonesian Army currently operates Mi-17V5 medium transport and Mi-35 assault helicopters.

Boginsky said there were about 200 helicopters in Southeast Asia, with 20 percent of them used for civilian purposes. “We have a market share of some 2 percent for civilian aviation in Southeast Asian countries,” he said. “We aim to increase the market share to 5 to 7 percent in the next five to seven years.”

He said he was unfazed by the fact that the regional market was dominated by Western competitors such as Agusta Westland, Airbus Helicopter, Bell and Sikorsky.

From the Zhuhai Air Show and the Southeast Asia demo tour, Russian Helicopters sold 70 helicopters worth more than US$500 million. The company sold 20 Ansat helicopters to China and another 50 helicopters to Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia.