Russia's new Mi-38T military helicopter designed for airborne troops will conduct its maiden flight in May, local news said Friday. "The plan is to see the helicopter, which is being adapted to the Defense Ministry's requirements, take off on its maiden flight in May," the Sputnik news agency quoted a spokesperson of Kazan Helicopters, the manufacturer of the aircraft, as saying.
Mi-38T first prototype in Kazan Helicopters final assembly line
The new multirole chopper will be supplied to the Defense Ministry in October-December 2018, added the spokesman.
It was reported that compared with the original Mi-38 helicopter, the new version comes with military-grade communications equipment and additional fuel tanks for a longer range.
The medium multirole Mi-38 helicopter ranges between Mi-8 and heavy Mi-26 and can transport cargoes and passengers, engage in search-and-rescue operations and in flights over water. Mi-38T is the military option of Mi-38. It has new domestically-made energy-efficient engines TV7-117V and an integrated piloting and navigational complex.
