Russian Helicopters' Future High-Speed Helicopter development program progressing well

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World Aviation Defense & Security Industry News - Russian Helicopters
 
 
Russian Helicopters' Future High-Speed Helicopter development program progressing well
 
The Russian Helicopters Holding is creating a scientific and technical groundwork for the production of combat helicopter on the basis of perspective high-speed helicopter (PSV) in order to be ready for a potential order from the defense ministry, Deputy Director General of the holding for production and innovations Andrei Shibitov said.
     
Russian Helicopters Future High Speed Helicopter development program progressing wel 640 001Russian Helicopters' flying testbed for the Future High-Speed Helicopter development program
     
"As for PSV groundwork, we are actively working to create the necessary scientific and technical blueprint to fulfill a defense ministry order, if any, in a fixed time," he said responding to a question whether the military are interested in a new combat helicopter.

The PSV flying laboratory is an experimental craft created on the basis of Mi-24 helicopter. It has new main rotor blades made of all-composite materials. Some elements of the fuselage have been upgraded to decrease air drag and improve aerodynamics of the helicopter at high speeds. The serial production is planned in 2022 and the craft will be able to fly at a speed of up to 500 km per hour.

This January the helicopter took off for the first time at the test flight range of the Mil helicopter plant in Moscow.


The flying testbed used under the Future High-Speed Helicopter development program will fly in June at a speed of 450 km/h, Andrei Shibitov, deputy director general for production and innovation, Russian Helicopters, told journalists on Thursday.

"The flying testbed is being prepared for an assigned speed flight. We expect the flight in early June and hope that the speed will initially account for 400-450 km/h and then increase to 500 km/h," he said.

Shibitov added that the PSV program was divided into two segments: "We decided to divide the program into two parts. One is the research work titled Future High-Speed Helicopter. The flying testbed, which, as you know, has conducted its maiden flight, was developed as part of it."

The other prong of the program is the development of a future medium commercial helicopter. Shibitov also stressed that the design of the Mi-24 (NATO reporting name: Hind) attack helicopter was used in developing the PSV’s cockpit for a reason. According to him, using an existing machine is the optimal way to husband the funds.

It made its first flight at the fight test facility of the Mil Helicopter Plant in Moscow in January of this year.

     
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