Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Oboronprom, part of State Corporation Rostec, signed contracts with countries across Latin America in 2013 for 41 helicopters to be delivered in 2014-2016. The Latin American market is one of the largest and fastest growing anywhere in the world, and Russian Helicopters sees it as a strategic priority for growing its global market share.

“We have traditionally had strong positions across Latin America, and are continuing to work on strengthening them further,” said Russian Helicopters CEO Alexander Mikheev. “2013 was a record-breaking year for us in terms of contracts signed, which represents fair reward for our hard work.”

As of the start of 2014 there were more than 400 Russian-built helicopters operational in Latin America. Russian Helicopters dominates in the segment of commercial helicopters with maximum take-off weight of 10-20 tons, accounting for 77% of the regional fleet. Russian-built helicopters also account for 42% of military helicopters across Latin America.

Russian Helicopters’ most popular model in the region is the Mi-8/17 series, with more than 300 helicopters delivered to date. The military Mi-17V-5 and Mi-171Sh operate in the region alongside commercial models including one of the latest versions, the Mi-171A1.

Ka-32 series helicopters including the latest Ka-32A11BC have been successfully deployed on fire-fighting missions, construction work and transportation of cargo on an external sling in Peru, Colombia, Brazil and Chile.

Military helicopters delivered to the region include the Mi-8/17 and Mi-24/35 series. Russian-built military helicopters are in service in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru. The Peruvian and Mexican militaries also use the super-heavy Mi-26, which can accommodate up to 82 airborne troops with full equipment or up to 20 tonnes of cargo inside the cabin or on an external sling.

Russian Helicopters is currently showcasing its products at the International Air and Space Fair (FIDAE 2014) in the Chilean capital, Santiago. The company’s display, including the multirole coaxial Ka-32A11BC, can be found at stand D70.