OREANDA-NEWS. Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Oboronprom, part of State Corporation Rostec, is pleased to announce that Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (UUAP) has produced its 850th Mi-171-series helicopter. The landmark aircraft was a Mi-171A1 built for Brazilian commercial operator Atlas Taxi Aereo.

The Mi-171A1 is one of the latest commercial models of the world-famous Mi-8/17 series. UUAP began deliveries to Atlas Taxi Aereo after the Brazilian company obtained type certification for the Mi-171A1 fr om the country's Aircraft Register in 2005. Used by Brazilian national oil company Petrobas to support drilling operations in Brazil's rainforests, the Mi-171A1 boasts outstanding reliability and efficiency. For example, during a year of intense operations one helicopter flew over 1,000 hours, carrying approximately 600 tonnes of cargo, primarily drilling equipment, on an external sling.

In August 2013, UUAP produced its 750th Mi-8AMT/Mi-171 helicopter - a Mi-8AMTSh for the Russian Defence Ministry. This model (export designation Mi-171Sh), was designed by the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, another Russian Helicopters company, following comprehensive analysis of Russian-built helicopters' experience of operating in “hot spots”. Russian designers have created a helicopter with high operational efficiency, capable of flying a wide range of missions in real combat conditions.

This year's landmark helicopter coincided with UUAP's 75th anniversary celebrations. The plant traces its history back to 1939, with the creation of Aircraft Repair Plant No. 99 in Ulan-Ude, wh ere piston-engined fighters and bombers were repaired. During the Second World War, the factory produced various models of fighter planes. UUAP started manufacturing helicopters in 1956, producing the Ka-15, Ka-18 and then Ka-25 simultaneously with aeroplanes. In 1980 the plant began to build the first models of the Mi-8/17 series - the Mi-8MT and its export version the Mi-17.

Today, UUAP produces different modifications of the Mi-8/17 series, including the commercial Mi-8AMT, Mi-171, Mi-171A1, and Mi-171E. Prototypes of the new Mi-171A2 are being prepared that make extensive use of the latest developments and materials. The company also manufactures military rotorcraft such as the Mi-8AMTSh and Mi-171Sh transport helicopters. In the near future, the plant will launch production of new versions of these helicopters: the Mi-8AMTSh-V and Mi-8AMTSh-VA.