Article Posted on : - Jun 15, 2011

Mi-8AMTSh helicopter. Photo: Ulan-Ude aviation.

MOSCOW (BNS): The Russian Ministry of Defence has received the first batch of Mi-8AMTSh helicopters from the Ulan-Ude aviation, the company announced Thursday.

Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant, JSC (UUAP), part of the Russian Helicopters holding, delivered the military transport helicopters to the Russian Air Force in December 2010 as scheduled.

The new delivery falls under the Government Defence Order (GDO) 2011.

In 2009, the Mi-8AMTSh helicopter was passed into service by the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation.

The Mi-8AMTSh can perform a wide range of missions and can be operated in different climatic zones, any weather conditions, and any time of day. Based on the Mi-171 (Mi-8AMT) platform, the Mi-8AMTSh model outperforms the regular Mi-8 and allows the Air Force to improve combat operations efficiency.

Mi-8AMTSh deliveries to the Russian Air Force under GDO 2011 are expected to be continued in the second half of 2011, the company said.