Russian Helicopters Passes Mi-171E Helicopter to Pakistan

Russian Helicopters has made its first Mi-171E civil multirole helicopter delivery to the Pakistani province of Punjab, according to a 19 April company statement.

Under the terms of the contract, the reconfigurable version of the Mi-171E was manufactured to allow for its use both as a transport aircraft and in the VIP cabin configuration.

The latter is designed to accommodate 13 passengers plus a flight attendant. As a transport aircraft, the Mi-171E is capable of carrying up to 27 passengers in the jump seats and up to four tons of cargo inside the cargo cabin or on the external sling.

The Punjab province authorities are expected to use the Mi-171E for passenger and cargo transportation, patrol work and emergency response and recovery.

Installation of the SAR equipment set, consisting of the LPG-150 winch and the TSL-1600 searchlight, further expands the scope of possible applications of the rotorcraft, according to Russian Helicopters.

It is also equipped with an early ground proximity warning system, enhancing flight safety.

The delivery comes as Russian Helicopters, part of state-owned corporation Rostec, claims increasing sales of its range of aircraft.

Alexander Shcherbinin, deputy CEO for marketing and business development, commented that 'the number of civil aviation air operators, particularly from South Asia, who place orders with us is growing'.

In January 2017, the company won an international tender and signed a contract for the Mi171 civil helicopter delivery with Pakistan's Balochistan province administration.