OREANDA-NEWS. November 05, 2014. The delivery of Mi-17V-5 military-transport helicopters to the Afghan National Army was completed in October 2014. Since the contract between Rosoboronexport and the US Department of Defense was signed in 2011, 63 helicopters produced at Kazan Helicopters, part of Russian Helicopters, have been delivered to Afghanistan.

Rosoboronexport proved itself a reliable supplier of military helicopters, and in implementing the contract to supply Mi-17V-5 helicopters to Afghanistan was highly evaluated by its US partners. Mi-8/17 helicopters have shown that they perform well in Afghanistan, with its challenging climate and mountainous areas. The helicopters supplied assist with the successful formation of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), and are part of Russia-US cooperation in the fight against international terrorism.

The Russian side, the Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation (FSVTS Russia), confirms it is ready to discuss potential future supplies of Mi- type helicopters, and also to provide maintenance and after-sales servicing to Russian-made helicopters already in operation.