China Starts Producing Russian Mi-17 Helicopters

[Lankan Ranger]

China Starts Producing Russian Mi-17 Helicopters

A manufacturing plant in southwest China has started to assemble Russian-designed Mi-171 transport helicopters, one of Russia's key arms exports, the Russian business daily Vedomosti said on Monday.

China plans to build at least 20 helicopters in 2008 with assembly kits supplied by a Russian plant in Ulan-Ude and later increase production capacity to 80 aircraft per year.

"We consider this project as the beginning of a trend to assembly Russian helicopters in China," the newspaper quoted a source in Oboronprom, which controls Russian Helicopters, a helicopter manufacturing group.

Mi-171 is an export version of the Mi-8 Hip helicopter, which is currently in production at two factories in Kazan and Ulan-Ude, fitted with more powerful turboshaft engines.

According to Vedomosti, the Lantian Helicopter Company, based in Sichuan province, has already received orders worth $42.8 million.

"The Chinese are planning to export [Mi-171] helicopters to Pakistan and Africa, which may hurt Russian exports," the source said.

"In addition, the successful implementation of the project could leave Russian manufacturers short of component parts."

In 2007, Russian companies only built 120 Mi-171 helicopters, although they had orders for 150 aircraft, due to a shortage of transmissions and rotors, and according to estimates, there are no plans in the future to increase production for these components.

At the same time, some Russian experts believe it is better to allow the Chinese to manufacture helicopters under license rather than sit and wait until China develops its own version, modeled on Russian designs, Vedomosti said.

China starts producing Russian Mi-171 helicopters - paper | Russia | RIA Novosti

---------- Post added at 07:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:15 PM ----------

 

[Nahraf]

Procurement: China Building Legal Russian Helicopters

China Building Legal Russian Helicopters
August 15, 2010: A factory in China recently began shipping Mi-171 helicopters. These are not illegal copies, but the result of a Russian-Chinese joint venture. The M-171 is basically an inexpensive transport helicopter. But it can easily be modified to carry weapons. This model is nicknamed "The Terminator. " The basic Mi-171 is based on the 1975 era Mi-17, which is the export version of similar Mi-8.

Weighing about 12 tons, and carrying a four ton load, the Mi-171 has a range of 590 kilometers at a cruising speed of 250 kilometers per hour. There is a crew of three, and as many passengers as can be squeezed in (about 40 people, but usually just 20 or so.) A sling underneath can also carry up to four tons.

The gunship version has the crew areas protected (against bullets and shell fragments) by armor. The Terminator normally carries machine-gun, rockets and bombs, and is also wired for using eight 9M114 (Spiral) air to surface missiles, or air-to-air missiles. There is a targeting radar up front. Avionics are often Western, which makes it an easier sell to foreign nations.

Several hundred Mi-171s have been exported from Russia. The helicopter is rugged, inexpensive ($4-5 million each) and better suited for less affluent nations. Development of this model was completed in 1998 and Russia has been pushing sales hard.

Two years ago, Russia and China signed an agreement, in which China promised to stop stealing Russian military technology. It appears that the main function of the new "military technical cooperation" agreement was to stop China from exporting their copies of Russian equipment, and competing with the Russian originals. This agreement immediately led to some interesting proposals regarding helicopters. Russia agreed to sell China six Helix anti-submarine helicopters, with the possibility of joint manufacture. Meanwhile, the Mi-171 deal moved ahead quickly.

There was also a proposal for China and Russia to jointly develop a large transport helicopter, based on the existing Mi-26T (a 20 ton aircraft that can carry 80 passengers). There may be other joint development deals to produce updated versions of existing Russian helicopter designs. This sort of thing could be mutually beneficial, and China now has a domestic source for inexpensive transport helicopters, which it's civilian and military markets are demanding many of.

 

[Hafizzz]

[/COLOR]

The helicopter looks so old fashion ? Is the design from dinosaur age ?

 

[Tayyab1796]

We needed helicopters back in 2005 (Earthquake) and we needed/need helicopters now (Flood and relief) , Its imperative that we order atleast 20 more Mi 17 s, Our Army is already using them so its going to be very economical for us to purchase more of these helicopters . Also remember regular landslides often cut road connections with northern areas and in such situations there is nothing better then helicopters .

 

[TorontoNoctis]

Wonder if China can build 100 of these for the Afghan Air Force?

Using helicopters Vietnam style is unacceptable with casualty aware Western democracies but losing 1 or 2 helicopters a year should be perfectly acceptable for the Afghans in return for CAS. And the Taliban don't have the right weapons to destroy these anyway. With helicopters it will be impossible for the Taliban to overrun a friendly city even if they didn't have US air support.

 

[TaimiKhan]

Wonder if China can build 100 of these for the Afghan Air Force?

Using helicopters Vietnam style is unacceptable with casualty aware Western democracies but losing 1 or 2 helicopters a year should be perfectly acceptable for the Afghans in return for CAS. And the Taliban don't have the right weapons to destroy these anyway. With helicopters it will be impossible for the Taliban to overrun a friendly city even if they didn't have US air support.

These are very big helicopters and if they are used for CAS, they will be hovering low, thus becoming good targets for 12.7mm / 14.5mm anti-aircraft guns, they being big in size would be very juicy targets.

They won't loose just 1-2 per year, rather much more.

 

[Malik Usman]

Good to hear our friend china start manufacturing helicopters.

 

[TorontoNoctis]

These are very big helicopters and if they are used for CAS, they will be hovering low, thus becoming good targets for 12.7mm / 14.5mm anti-aircraft guns, they being big in size would be very juicy targets.

They won't loose just 1-2 per year, rather much more.

Well they are looking to get 100-150 helicopters anyway and it is moving ahead with 20 Mi-17 from Russia very soon.

Let's hope you are wrong and/or hinds are a lot better. But they do not have the money for that many hinds so the majority of their airforce will be these...

 

[siegecrossbow]

I'd rather prefer the engineers in CAC construct something along the lines of the American Blackhawks, a superior heli (via a statement by a PLA official comparing Russian and American helis). The blackhawks leftover from the Sino-American "honeymoon" during the 80s still performed superbly during the Wenchuan Earthquake.

 

[fathorse]

it's really a good new. first, we have, then, we design.

 

[lcloo]

Since the Shichuan earthquakes, China must have realised she can't wait for the new domestic design helicopters. The need for large fleet of medium and large transport helicopters is extreme urgent, especially in disaster relief and rescure missions. The current massive flood in China is a strong pointer.