OREANDA-NEWS. July 08, 2013. Mi-8MTV helicopters built by Kazan Helicopters, a Russian Helicopters company, will provide security at the 27th Summer Universiade in the Russian city of Kazan this month.

More than 170 nations – a record for the event – will participate in Universiade-2013, taking place on July 6-17 in the capital of Russia’s Tatarstan region. Kazan Arena, the main stadium for the games, can hold 45,000 spectators, making security a high priority. Regional authorities say that several thousand police and medical workers will provide security during the event, with more than two hundred vehicles including helicopters being deployed.

Mi-8MTV helicopters built in Kazan will form part of the aerial operations of the federal and Tatarstan emergencies ministries during the games. The helicopters are equipped with specialist equipment to perform a number of roles. A medical helicopter with two specialized modules can transport up to four injured people and two doctors to the Republican Clinical Hospital in Kazan, while a second Mi-8MTV fitted with 3-ton-capacity Bambi Buckets will be put into action to patrol sporting sites along the Kazanka river. The machine will also be fitted with an HAP-300 winch and other optional equipment to fly search-and-rescue missions.

Members of the Emergencies Ministry aircrew say that Kazan Helicopters equipment is safe and reliable. The helicopter’s optimised configuration and high levels of power make it maximally effective for specialist operations. The helicopters operate successfully not only on training tasks and moments of potential threat, but also at the hottest times of the year – the Mi-8MTV was praised by Tatarstan’s Emergencies Ministry for dealing with massive wildfires in 2010 and the recent blaze at the Novaya Tura techno-park.

The Mi-8MTV’s capabilities are constantly being expanded thanks to ongoing upgrades to fly increasingly complex and varied missions. As of today more than 12,000 Mi-8/17-series helicopters have been produced and delivered to 100 countries around the world. These helicopters fly in the Middle East, South and South-East Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, South and Central America and across the CIS, and are also operated by major Russian commercial organisations.

The light multi-role Ansat, which is owned by the Tatarstan Interior Ministry’s Special Airborne Brigade, is also planned to be used to provide security during Universiade-2013. The Brigade says that the Ansat possesses a winning combination of flight speed (up to 240 kmh), reliable engines and versatile functionality for training flights. In particular the machine is equipped with a unique function that mimics an engine failure without actually cutting the engine. During the Universiade, the Ansat is planned to be used for aerial patrols and transfers.

It is not the first time that the Ansat has been used by Russian security forces. A long-term contract has been signed with the Russian Defence Ministry to supply a large consignment of Ansat-U helicopters through 2018. Overall, Russian Helicopters grew its orders from the state (the Defence Ministry, Emergencies Ministry and other bodies) by 1.5x in 2012.