Russian Helicopters Unveils Ansat Variant with 750km Range, Upgraded Avionics

A new variant of Ansat rotorcraft built by Russian Helicopters will come with latest avionics; besides an enlarged main tank and internal fuel tanks, which would increase the range of the helicopter by over 275km.

The company unveiled the new variant of the Ansat at the HeliRussia-2020 Exhibition Tuesday.

"By the end of the year, we are planning to transfer a prototype representing a new generation of Ansat for testing,” said the Director General of Russian Helicopters holding company Andrey Boginsky.

The Ansat modification with enlarged main fuel tanks will be available to customers in 2021. The capacity of the main fuel system will be increased by 20%, increasing flight range by 135 km. The additional 192-liter fuel tank (without enlarged main tank) increases Ansat's flight range by 140-150 km, up to 650 km.

When the additional fuel tank is used in combination with the upgraded Ansat with enlarged main tank, the maximum flight range will exceed 750 km. Currently, the range of the helicopter is about 500km.

“In addition to a wide range of optional equipment, the helicopter will receive an upgraded fuel system with increased capacity, the latest avionics for instrument flight and a lightweight fuselage structure which includes more composite materials,” Boginsky added.

An emergency floatation system is designed to keep the helicopter afloat in the event of an emergency landing on water, with inflated ballonets that can provide buoyancy for 30 minutes. The systems consist of inflatable buoyancy chambers (ballonets), two life rafts, emergency life support package, including a radio beacon to signal the landing site location to rescuers.

The Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) certified the installation of the emergency floatation systems on Ansats in 2020.

In the future, Ansat will also be equipped with a winch and external sling. This modification is currently tested in the Kazan Helicopters testing facility. The winch increases the efficiency of the helicopter in search and rescue operations and allows to carry out loading and unloading operations while hovering. The device provides lifting and deploying of people and cargo with a total weight of up to 272 kg.

The external sling is designed for transporting cargo with weight up to 1000 kg. The maximum take-off weight of Ansat with external sling will be increased to 3900 kg. The system comes with capability for cargo weight measurement and jettisoning.