Russian Ansat Helicopter Cleared to Transport Bulky Cargo, Extinguish Fires

Kazan Helicopter Plant, a subsidiary of Russian Helicopters has received approval from the Federal Air Transport Agency to equip the Ansat helicopter with an external sling, clearing it for transporting oversized cargo and extinguish fires.

The maximum take-off weight of Ansat when using an external sling has been increased from 3600 to 3800 kg. Now the helicopter can carry cargo weighing up to a ton on an external sling. Recall that during the tests at the Kazan Helicopter Plant, the machine climbed to an altitude of 3.7 km, having 600 kg of cargo overboard. At the same time, the speed of the aircraft was 180 km / h.

Ansat can be used to extinguish fires with a spillway device, which is attached to the external sling and does not affect the design features of the helicopter. The fire extinguishing system has already successfully passed a series of tests carried out by specialists from the flight test complex of the Kazan Helicopter Plant.

In addition, the Federal Air Transport Agency certified the installation of a special "heel" on the runners of the Ansat chassis - the so-called "bear paws". The new option will provide the ability to land the aircraft on soft ground.

"Our task is to make Ansat a universal helicopter capable of performing a wide range of tasks. The expansion of optional solutions increases, among other things, Ansat's search and rescue functions, which is important for customers. In 2020, the first Ansat expanded the aviation fleet of the North-West Aviation Rescue Center, and we expect that Ansat's new capabilities will become the basis for further building up cooperation with the Russian Emergencies Ministry,” said Nikolay Kolesov, General Director of the Russian Helicopters holding .

The Federal Air Transport Agency has already certified a number of optional solutions that expand the use of the helicopter for search and rescue missions. In particular, the use of a searchlight on the Ansat was approved, which can be used together with an onboard winch. Recall that in April 2021, Kazan Helicopters received approval from the Federal Air Transport Agency for the installation of an onboard boom with a winch on the Ansat helicopter. This option allows you to safely lift on board and lower people and goods weighing up to 272 kg. The side boom is also indispensable for search and rescue operations and allows for loading and unloading operations in hover mode.

In addition, within the framework of the contract for the supply of helicopters for the National Air Ambulance Service, the installation of domestic LED controlled search and landing lights FSD-134M developed by the Scientific Research Institute of Micropribors was certified.