Russian Mi-171A3 Helicopter Covers 800km in First Interregional Flight

The Mi-171A3 offshore helicopter, developed by Rostec’s Russian Helicopters, covered a distance of more than 800km in its first interregional flight as part of the flight test program.

The latest vehicle in a search and rescue configuration arrived from the Moscow region to the Northern capital for demonstration at the St. Petersburg International Gas Forum SPIGF-2022.

The first long-distance flight of a rotorcraft from the site of the National Center for Helicopter Engineering named after M.L. Mil and N.I. Kamov passed normally - all systems worked without comment. The helicopter was piloted by a crew consisting of commander Salavat Sadriev, co-pilot Vladimir Kutanin, flight engineer Pavel Zarudnev and lead flight test engineer Konstantin Samsonov.

“The long intercity flight was the continuation of a busy flight test program for the Mi-171A3 – the aircraft successfully covered a distance of more than 800 km. Successful completion of the next stage of testing confirmed the quality of all components and systems, as well as the overall technical readiness of the first sample of the offshore helicopter for long flights. Today's event has become an important part of large-scale work, which will result in obtaining a type certificate for this aircraft,” said Anatoly Serdyukov, industrial director of the aviation cluster of Rostec State Corporation.

The Mi-171A3 helicopter has unique transport capabilities in its class: the maximum takeoff weight of the machine is 13 tons; the capacity is up to 24 passengers. The maximum flight range is up to 1000 km with the main fuel tanks. Mi-171A3 is suitable for all-weather operation in a wide range of climatic conditions, including maritime, tropical and cold climates, at ambient temperatures from -50 to +50 °C. In addition, the rotorcraft is equipped with an emergency splashdown system for wave heights up to 5 meters.

“In a long flight, we clearly saw how well thought out the ergonomics of the new Mi-171A3 cockpit are: comfortable pilot seats, good visibility, high information content of the flight and navigation system, and precise operation of automation. These factors significantly reduce the load on the crew, which is very important for a helicopter whose main purpose is long flights in difficult navigation conditions,” said test pilot Salavat Sadriev.

The Mi-171A3 is the first domestic helicopter designed to carry out offshore operations – transportation of passengers and cargo over the sea. It can fly over water areas to offshore drilling platforms remote from the coastline, as well as perform search and rescue operations. The design provides for the conversion of the helicopter from search and rescue to cargo-passenger by the operator.

The helicopter complies with IOGP (International Association of Oil and Gas Producers) standards and meets the increased requirements for ensuring flight safety over the water surface. Serial production of the Mi-171A3 will be launched at the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant.