Russian Helicopters (part of State Corporation Rostec) has delivered the first batch of four Mi-171Sh military transport helicopters, made by Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant, to the Ministry of Defence of Peru. The Mi-171Sh are being delivered to Peru a month ahead of schedule. The customer also received aviation equipment required for its operation in addition to the helicopters.

The helicopters were supplied under a contract concluded with Rosoboronexport, Russian Helicopters’ partner in the export of military products. This contract was the largest to be concluded in the recent history of military and technical cooperation with Peru and was one of the largest in the global market for military transport helicopters.

Under the contract concluded in December 2013, 24 helicopters will be supplied to Peru: eight in 2014, with the rest to follow in 2015. A maintenance centre for Russian Helicopters will also be established in Peru, which will make it possible to keep the country’s helicopter fleet in a constant state of operational readiness, and to use them effectively in counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism operations.

The Mi-171Sh helicopters and aviation equipment were delivered to Peru by an An-124 ‘Ruslan’ transport plane, and were handed over to the Armed Forces’ Army Aviation brigade. On 9 December they are due to take part in celebrations to mark Army Day in Peru. It is anticipated that by then, all four helicopters will have undergone final acceptance testing, on the basis of which the Ministry of Defence committee should sign the acceptance document and approve the equipment for Army use.

The Mi-171Sh multirole military transport helicopters supplied under contract are equipped with the latest systems boosting their combat efficiency, providing comprehensive protection of their main systems and crew from attack, and avionics suites that enable them to fly in adverse weather conditions and at any time of day or night.

The helicopters can carry up to 26 paratroopers. They are equipped with two sliding doors and electro-hydraulic ramp, making a full ground-troop landing possible within just 7-8 seconds. As the customer requested, the helicopters are painted in Peru Army colours.

Peru’s Armed Forces already operate Russian helicopters. In July 2010, Peru’s Armed Forces purchased eight Russian helicopters (six military-transport Mi-171Sh and two attack Mi-35P), and delivery on these orders was completed in October 2011. In total, since the 1970s, about 100 Soviet and Russian-made helicopters have been delivered to Peru, where the army has for a long time already been operating Russian Mi-8/17 and Mi-24/35 type helicopters.

Operators rate Russian-made helicopters very highly, noting their outstanding flight capabilities, high reliability, ease of operation and maintenance, and the fact that they can be operated in adverse conditions. The armed forces of many different countries value the universality of Mi-8/17 type helicopters, which have proved themselves in numerous local conflicts, in counter-terror operations and police assignments. Mi-8/17 helicopters have demonstrated their superior performance and efficiency in disaster response work following floods and earthquakes, and other natural and man-made disasters, in search and rescue operations and in evacuating those affected.

JSC Rosboronexport, part of Rostec State Corporation, is Russia’s sole state intermediary agency responsible for import/export of the full range of defence and dual-use products, technologies and services. The company ranks among the leaders in the global arms market. It accounts for over 80% of Russian arms exports. Rosoboronexport cooperates with more than 700 enterprises and organizations of Russia’s defence industry. It maintains military-technical cooperation between Russia and more than 70 countries. In 2013 Rosoboronexport delivered weapons and equipment worth of $13.2 bln to customers. Currently Rosoboronexport’s order portfolio stands at about $38 bln.

Ulan-UdeAviationPlant, JSC – is a Russian Helicopters company. The plant’s modern manufacturing and technological capacities enables it to rapidly launch production of new aircraft types and combine the manufacture of prototypes and serial production. In the plant’s 75-year history it has produced 8,000 aircraft. Today it specialises in producing the Mi-171, Mi-171A1, and Mi-171Sh helicopters.

Russian Helicopters, (part of State Corporation Rostec), is one of the global leaders in helicopter production and the only helicopter design and production powerhouse in Russia. Russian Helicopters was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Moscow. The company comprises five helicopter production facilities, two design bureaus, a spare parts production and repair facility, as well as an aftersale service branch responsible for maintenance and repair in Russia and all over the world. Its helicopters are popular among Russian ministries and state authorities (Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Emergency Control Ministry), operators (Gazpromavia, UTair), major Russian corporations. In 2013 its IFRS revenues increased 10% to RUB 138.3 billion. Deliveries reached 275 helicopters.

State Corporation Rostec is a Russian corporation founded in 2007 for the purpose of promoting the development, production and export of hi-tech civilian and military industry products. It comprises 700 organisations, nine of which have now been formed as holding companies of the military-industrial complex and five of them are involved in civil industries. Rostec’s organisations are located in 60 constituent entities of the Russian Federation and supply their products to the markets of more than 70 countries. The revenue of Rostec in 2013 amounted to RUB 1, 04 trillion, with net profit of RUB 40 billion. The tax deductions into the treasuries at all levels exceeded RUB 138 billion.