OREANDA-NEWS. July 24, 2014. Russian-built Mi-8/17 helicopters received plaudits from experts during a round table on local and regional aviation in the Russian Far North in early July. The event was attended by the head of the Nenets Autonomous Region, Igor Koshin, as well as national aviation experts and representatives of equipment producers, operators and clients for aviation equipment.

“We have operated the Mi-8MTV since 1990, and since then have clocked up more than 40,000 flight-hours,” said Valery Ostapchuk, CEO of Naryan-Mar United Air Detachment. “There have been no engine failures and no gearbox breakdowns. It is a wonderful helicopter and extremely reliable.”

Naryan-Mar United Air Detachment is one of the largest helicopter operators in North-West Russia, and runs flights between settlements in the Nenets Autonomous Region along a 1,200 km stretch of the Arctic Ocean. The company runs passenger and cargo services, and operates search-and-rescue and medevac missions as well as providing medical care to local people. It also operates flights to ships at sea and offshore drilling platforms, and provides aerial photography and pipeline monitoring services. To develop its fleet, Naryan-Mar United Air Detachment plans to acquire four new Mi-8MTV-1 helicopters produced by Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Oboronprom, part of State Corporation Rostec.

The Mi-8/17 series is associated with many of the achievements and outstanding chapters in the history of Naryan-Mar United Air Detachment. In October 1994, for example, it was only thanks to an Mi-8MTV1 that it was possible to rescue everyone on board the Yakhroma after the vessel foundered in a storm in the Barents Sea. The pilot and rescue crew were awarded state honours for their roles in the mission.

The legendary Mi-8/17 series is renowned around the world and is in constant demand. These helicopters are used for medical purposes and search-and-rescue missions, to transport cargo and passengers, and in forest and aqua-conservation efforts. The capabilities of Mi-8/17 series helicopters are constantly expanding thanks to upgrades and the use of the latest equipment, which makes these reliable and economically efficient machines able to cope with even the most complex missions. More than 12,000 Mi-8/17 helicopters have been produced to date and delivered to a hundred countries around the world.