Page 26 - Air Forces Monthly - September 2017

NEWS Russia & CIS

Mi-171Sh-VN gunship revealed Azerbaijan

orders Super
Mushshak
THE PAKISTAN
Aeronautical Complex
(PAC) has secured an
order for ten Super
Mushshaks from
Azerbaijan. The contract
was signed on July
27. According to the
Pakistan Air Force, PAC
will provide training
and technical assistance
to the Azerbaijan Air
Force. Waseem Abbas

Russian MoD
orders Mi-38s
RUSSIA’S MINISTRY of
Defence has signed a
contract for two Mi-38
helicopters for delivery
by the end of 2019.
Above: The package of features incorporated in the Mi-171Sh-VN will apparently be off ered to international customers as an The order with JSC
option for the basic Mi-171Sh assault transport model. Stanislav Bazhenov Russian Helicopters was
RUSSIAN HELICOPTERS, Moscow, which took As well as additional the Russian military announced on July 19.
a subsidiary of the place from July 18 to 23. weapons, the Mi-171Sh- Mi-8AMTSh, which has They will be built
Rostec state corporation, The Mi-171Sh-VN is VN includes other features been used in Syria. by Kazan Helicopters
unveiled a new, heavily configured as a gunship to improve survivability. This latter variant before undergoing
armed, variant of for special operations The helicopter can is basically similar to experimental testing to
the Mi-171Sh military and, according to officials, accommodate up to 37 the Mi-8MTV-5 but is assess their suitability
transport helicopter at has been developed in troops and three crew. produced by the Ulan- for operation by the
the MAKS 2017 airshow light of experience from The basic Mi-171Sh is Ude plant, rather than Russian Aerospace Forces
at Zhukovsky, outside Russia’s campaign in Syria. an export version of Kazan Helicopters. (VKS). Dave Allport
Russia orders more Ansat-Us Helix meets Osprey
at Sea Breeze

Ka-27PS ‘29 Yellow’ (c/n exercise. Visible in the
5235012382608) of background is one of
the Ukrainian Navy’s two US Air Force CV-22Bs
only aviation unit – the of the 7th Special
10 mors’ka aviatsiyna Operations Squadron
brihada (mabr, naval from RAF Mildenhall,
aviation brigade) – Suffolk that also
takes off from its home attended the exercise.
base at Kul’bakino near A full Exercise Report
Mykolayiv on July 14, on Sea Breeze 2017
during the US-Ukrainian will appear in the
Above: Russian Air Force Ansat-U ‘51 Yellow’ at Kubinka in May 2015 during preparations for Sea Breeze 2017 naval October issue.
that year’s Victory Parade in Moscow. Although precise fi gures are unconfi rmed, it is believed
around 40 Ansat-Us are now in service. Ralf Jahnke
THE RUSSIAN Ministry and the completion in 2001. The first three
of Defence has ordered date is expected to be entered service following
a further ten Ansat-U December 31 this year. delivery on October 11,
training helicopters. The The Ansat-U was selected 2010, to the Syzran Higher
contract, placed with as the future cadet pilot Military Aviation School
Kazan Helicopters on training helicopter for the at Syzran-Troekurovka.
June 5, is valued at $33m Russian Armed Forces Dave Allport
Two more PAK FA prototypes due this year

SUKHOI IS to produce the Gagarin Aircraft Plant Russia plans to purchase
another two T-50 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur a first batch of production
prototypes this year, will be the tenth and T-50s – which will be
according to Russia’s TASS eleventh to join the test designated Su-57 in VKS
news agency. Russian programme. The most service – as part of the
Deputy Defence Minister recent prototype to fly, future 2018-25 state
Yuri Borisov said that T-50-9, made a maiden armament programme.
work on the PAK FA flight at Komsomolsk- An initial T-50 fitted with
project was “at the final on-Amur on April 24 the ‘second-phase engine’
stage”. The next two (see Latest T-50 prototype (izdeliye 30) is due to
prototypes produced by takes to the air, July, p6). make a first flight in 2018. Sergey Smolentsev

26 // SEPTEMBER 2017 #354 www.airforcesmonthly.com