OREANDA-NEWS. September 10, 2012. Russian Helicopters, part of Russian Technologies and a leading global designer and manufacturer of helicopters, announces that it has received initial credit ratings from two global credit-rating agencies, Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service.

Fitch has assigned Russian Helicopters a long-term rating of BB+, and Moody’s has assigned a Ba2 rating. The outlooks on both ratings are stable.

Russian Helicopters CEO Dmitry Petrov said: “The award of these ratings is an acknowledgement of our status as one of the world’s leading companies in the helicopter manufacturing sector. Credit ratings are an important step in the development of Russian Helicopters, as the Company seeks to emulate global best practice standards of corporate governance and financial transparency.”

Sergey Yarkovoy, CFO of Russian Helicopters, said: “The ratings awards are recognition of the strong financial position of Russian Helicopters. With credit ratings in place, we will be able to continue pursuing prudent financial policies as we seek to diversify our funding and increase our attractiveness to potential investors.”

Among the factors Moody’s and Fitch cited to support their ratings are Russian Helicopters’ solid forward order book, wide product range and strong position in key markets, as well as the support that Russian Helicopters can expect to receive from the state as a company of national strategic importance.