Russian Helicopters has signed memoranda of understand with the government of Kazakhstan. The parties are still discussing details of the delivery schedule and which helicopters are to be delivered between 2016 and 2020. In a company press release, Russian said it is ready to supply new rotorcraft, including Ka-226Ts, Mi-171A2s and Ansats. The company recently displayed some of its models at the KADEX-2016 defense expo last week in Kazakhstan.
Ahead of KADEX 2016, Astana got some good news from Russia.
As TASS reported earlier, Kazakhstan should be getting the first delivery of Mil Mi-35M (NATO reporting name: Hind-E) combat helicopters by the end of the year.
“The first deliveries of this helicopter (Mi-35M) through the Rosoboronexport (Russia’s arms exporter) is scheduled for the end of this year,” Russian Helicopters’ deputy chief executive for business development, Alexander Shcherbinin, said last week.
Shcherbinin did not mention further details, like how many of the helicopters Astana had on order.
Kazakhstan already uses an array of primarily Russian aircraft. According to Flightglobal’s 2016 World Air Forces report, Kazakhstan’s air force currently has 142 combat aircraft (various MiG and Su models), 13 transport aircraft, and 69 helicopters.
The Mi-35M, an export version of the Mi-24, is multirole combat helicopter that has been in operation in Russia (then the Soviet Union) since 1972. The Mi-35 is currently in use by the Russian, Azerbaijani, Brazilian, and Venezuelan air forces. The helicopters are primarily designed for attack and military transport missions.
According to the WAF report, Kazakhstan presently operates 18 Mi-24 helicopters as well as 46 Mi-8 and Mi-17s. The Mi-24 (and the Mi-35) were developed from the Mi-8, one of the most produced and most used helicopters in the world since its introduction in 1967.
Russia is expected to put the Mi-35M on display during KADEX 2016. Kazakhstan’s biennial defense expo, is in its fourth iteration through the weekend. The expo serves several purposes such as putting the Kazakh defense industry on international display and attracting foreign developers and manufacturers.
More than 200 companies are listed as exhibitors—the majority from Kazakhstan and Russia. Companies from China, Turkey (which has its own national pavilion), and Europe are also exhibitors.
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via Defense News
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