Russia’s New Helicopters

Russia’s New Helicopters

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At the latest HeliRussia 2016 exhibition, Russian Helicopters unveiled two brand new (and one upgraded) unmanned aerial vehicles designed for a variety of tasks. An upgraded tiltrotor, a multirotor, and a helicopter should cover all bases, from monitoring the environment, through aerial photography, to delivering small cargo to remote areas.

The upgraded tiltrotor is the next evolutionary step on the model displayed at the MASK-2015 aviation and space salon. The newest version boasts an impressive 450 kilometre range and can reach a top speed of 140 kilometres per hour. It can climb to altitudes of up to two kilometres and carry a 6 kilogram payload.

The smaller multirotor can reach speeds up to 60 kilometres per hour with a three kilogram payload. The unmanned helicopter flies at up to 120 kilometres per hour with a five kilogram payload.

“The vehicles have been developed by the VR-Technologies construction bureau belonging to the Russian Helicopters holding,” the company said in a press release.

Russian Helicopters is a subsidiary of Oboronprom, a Russian aerospace holding company which is part of the Rostec corporation. The state-controlled company is Russia’s leading designer and manufacturer of rotary-wing aircraft equipment for civilian and military purposes. In 2012, Russian Helicopters was the world’s 24th-largest defence contractor, and the second largest in the Russian Federation.

Other exhibitors at the ninth annual, three-day HeliRussia event included Airbus Helicopters, Bell Helicopter hailing from the US, and Russian manufacturers Heli Systems, Technodynamics, Klimov, Kazan Helicopters (a Russian Helicopters subsidiary), and many others.