Press Release

Issued by Russian Helicopters, JSC.

September 17, 2014

Russian Helicopters (a subsidiary of Oboronprom, part of State Corporation Rostec) will showcase a wide range of Russian-made commercial and military helicopters at the Africa Aerospace and Defence 2014 (AAD 2014) exhibition in South Africa, which will run from 17 - 21 September 2014. Russian helicopter industry specialists and their colleagues from Rosoboronexport will talk about the unique performance characteristics of Russia's Mi-171Sh and Mi-17V-5 combat-transport helicopters, the military transport Mi-35M and Ansat-U training helicopters. Russian Helicopters will also showcase commercial Mi-8/17 and Ka-32A11BC series helicopters as well as the latest Mi-171A2 for visitors and participants of the exhibition.

"Our positions on the South African helicopter market, and in Africa as a whole, have traditionally been strong, and we view this as one of the most important regions for us," said Russian Helicopters ceo Alexander Mikheev. "The total fleet of Russian-made helicopters on the continent exceeds 770 units. In South Africa, Mi-8/17 and Ka-32 series helicopters are operated from the Denel Aviation service centre that services civilian Mi-8/17 helicopters. I am confident that, in future, the fleet of these helicopters in operation on the continent will continue to grow."

During the exhibition, multirole Mi-8/17 series helicopters will be showcased for representatives of official delegations and security agencies from the region. Mi-171 and Mi-172 helicopters from this family available to African clients are chiefly designed for operation in the civil aviation sector - for cargo, passenger, and vip transportation. These helicopters are distinguished by their impressive flight capabilities, reliability, the fact that they can be operated in a wide range of conditions and temperatures, their multi-functionality, ease of operation and service.

In addition, security and police agencies will be shown the Ansat and its training version the Ansat-U. The Ansat can be used to transport cargo and passengers, as a police or medical helicopter, for surveillance and search and rescue operations. The Ansat-U is used for training various types of crew.

Rescue workers and emergency services from countries in the region will have the chance to learn more about the multirole Ka-32A11BC helicopter. This coaxial helicopter is ideally suited to firefighting missions, coping with the aftermath of emergency situations and supporting construction work in challenging conditions. The Ka-32A11BC is ideal for operation in built-up urban areas, remote mountain and forested areas, and can also land on board vessels and on unprepared, difficult to access terrain. Ka-32 helicopters are operated in Azerbaijan, Brazil, Canada, China, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, and Switzerland.

The combination of proven characteristics such as reliability, security, effectiveness and operability even in the most challenging environments, makes Russian-produced helicopters among the most attractive on offer to the African market. These machines' long history of use in Africa's various environmental conditions confirms that they are ideally suited to use in a wide range of operations, including support for humanitarian missions. In particular, Russian helicopters are widely used in UN missions, delivering humanitarian aid, supporting peacekeeping missions, saving people's lives in the aftermath of emergency situations. A total of over 150 Russian-made helicopters were used in UN peacekeeping missions this year.

AAD is Africa's largest exhibition of ground-based, naval and aerospace technology. It is organised by several bodies including the South African Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries Association (AMD), the Armaments Corporation of South Africa (ARMSCOR) and the Commercial Aviation Association of Southern Africa (CAASA). The exhibition is also supported the South African Air Force (SAAF).