Photo: Russian Helicopters
Russian Helicopters holding, Rostec State Corporation, has presented Mi-171А3 offshore helicopter in the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The world premiere of the new rotary-wing aircraft designed for oil and gas companies has taken place at the major international exhibition – IDEX-2023 in Abu Dhabi.
The advanced aircraft is designed to deliver passengers and cargo to offshore platforms and to perform open water search and rescue operations. The Mi-171А3 has unique transportation capabilities in the offshore class. With a maximum takeoff weight of 13 tons, this rotary-wing aircraft is able to carry up to 4 tons of cargo or up to 24 passengers. The flight range with auxiliary fuel tanks is up to 1000km.
“The Middle East traditionally shows high interest in our helicopters. These are primarily Mi-8/17 aircraft, but Russian Helicopters holding is taking extensive efforts to promote new types of civil aircraft on this market. The Mi-171А3, from our point of view, has a high export potential. This advanced offshore helicopter designed for overwater flights and for servicing remote offshore platforms should catch the interest of the UAE because the majority of the UAE’s oil is produced offshore.
The Mi-171А3 satisfies the demands of oil and gas companies, both domestic and foreign, and meets the IOGP (International Association of Oil & Gas Producers) standards,” pointed out Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Rosteс State Corporation.
The Mi-171A3 is furnished with the advanced airborne avionics, which ensures safe overwater flying when no natural landmarks and satellite signal are available even in poor visibility conditions.
The helicopter meets the strict overwater flight safety requirements. The aircraft has an emergency ditching system with two airbags to ensure helicopter buoyancy in case of an emergency landing on water. Passengers and crew are evacuated in two liferafts with a capacity up to 27 people each.
Moreover, the Mi-171A3 has the state-of-the-art navigation equipment, digital autopilot and airborne collision avoidance system. A new reinforced body with extensive use of composite materials has been designed for the helicopter. The upgraded main rotor system includes an X-shaped high-performance tail rotor and main rotor with composite blades. Fail-safe fuel tanks are located in bottom body bays under the cargo-passenger cabin floor to increase the helicopter safety.
