Russia Starts Flight Tests of Ansat Training Helicopter

Text of report by Russian news agency Interfax-AVN website

Moscow, 30 August: The Russian air force’s State Flight Test Centre is starting flight tests of the Ansat training helicopter developed by the Kazan Helicopter Plant (KVZ), KVZ Chief Designer Aleksey Stepanov told Interfax-AVN.

“The Ansat training helicopter is being designed in the interests of the Russian Defence Ministry under the Pervokursnik ["freshman"] research and development programme. Two machines have already been built and undergone ground tests. The Flight Tests Centre will now start flight testing them,” Stepanov said.

According to him, the Ansat training modification is being designed for basic flight training of Syzran Military [Aviation] Institute cadets.

By a special decision of the Russian Defence Ministry, the Ansat helicopter equipped with two Canadian Pratt & Whitney PW-207K engines, can be used as a training aircraft.

The Ansat helicopter, designed by KVZ, is capable of carrying a pilot and nine passengers. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 3.3 tons, a maximum internally carried payload of one ton, and a cruising speed of 250 km/h.

[At 0805 gmt Interfax-AVN quoted Stepanov as saying that "the features of the design" of the Ansat light helicopter such as its electronic control system allowed to use it as a platform to create an unmanned aerial vehicle]

Sources:

Interfax-AVN military news agency website, Moscow, in English 0640 gmt 30 Aug 07;

Interfax-AVN military news agency website, Moscow, in Russian 0805 gmt 30 Aug 07

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