Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Oboronprom, part of State Corporation Rostec, and Concern Radio-Electronic Technologies (KRET), also part of Rostec, have signed an agreement to establish a Helicopter Avionics Integration Centre (HAIC) to help boost the competitiveness of Russia’s helicopter industry on the global market. The agreement was signed at HeliRussia 2014 by KRET CEO Nikolay Kolesov and Russian Helicopters CEO Alexander Mikheev.

The core goal of the HAIC will be to develop and upgrade integrated on-board avionics for military, special-purpose and commercial helicopters built by Russian Helicopters. The center will also serially produce avionics suites and provide support throughout the product life-cycle.

The center will be designated a first-level integration enterprise (approximately equivalent to an OEM). Today’s avionics are produced by integrating the individual components into a single unified “smart” system that controls the flight, weapons, engine and other on-board systems, as well as protecting the helicopter from external threats and ensuring pilot safety. The new HAIC will deliver a fully finished product to Russian Helicopters.

“KRET is Russia’s largest developer and producer of helicopter avionics, and has been a long-term and reliable partner providing uninterrupted supplies of components and systems to Russian Helicopters,” said Russian Helicopters CEO Alexander Mikheev. “Establishing the HAIC marks a new chapter in our productive relationship that will reduce the number of suppliers of avionics equipment and reduce logistical costs.”

“Russian Helicopters is one of our most important partners in Russia for advanced helicopter avionics,” KRET CEO Nikolay Kolesov said. “Under this agreement we will provide a fully integrated product including lifetime support for the product from first designs to after-sales care. This will help us to extend and strengthen our leadership in this segment, in line with our strategic goals.”

The HAIC is expected to significantly streamline cooperation on design and production between KRET and Russian Helicopters as part of a program of further upgrades to current military and commercial helicopters and the creation of future models.

The agreement signed between KRET and Russian Helicopters sets out the core organizational principles for creating the HAIC. In the near future the parties will form a working group that will include representatives of both sides and will start work on developing a business plan and timeline for the work that lies ahead.