Russian Helicopters, part of State Corporation Rostec, and the Industrial Development and Renovation Organization (IDRO) of Iran have announced new cooperation in potential JV to assemble Russian light civilian helicopters in Iran.

A memorandum of understanding was signed by Russian Helicopters CEO Andrey Boginsky and the chairman of the Board of Directors of IDRO Mansour Moazami.  The document is aimed at promoting cooperation between Russia and Iran as part of the program on upgrading the Iranian helicopter fleet. Russian Helicopters said it also intends to explore potential for cooperation with IDRO to develop business in the Middle East.

“We see that the demand for light helicopters is high in Iran, and the country needs them for civilian agencies. The joint venture between Russia and Iran would consider assembling light Ka-226 or Ansat helicopters.  Currently, negotiations on this issue are ongoing.  The memorandum signed today implies that a fully-fledged cooperation agreement will be reached as soon as possible,” said Boginsky.

Today, Iran has over 50 helicopters that were manufactured in Russia.  Iran’s demand for the Mi-17 helicopters is the highest.  The country uses almost the whole range of helicopters of this type:  Mi-17, Mi-171, Mi-171E, Mi-8MTV and Mi-17V-5s. These medium-class helicopters are used for law enforcement and to fight organized crime.  Just as in other countries of the region, Russian helicopters in Iran have become known primarily as undemanding and reliable machines that allow to perform tasks in high temperatures and at high altitudes.