The agreement was signed in September 2015 and was fulfilled on time.
In addition to the manufacturing of helicopters, it also provided for retraining pilots of the Serbian air force and technical personnel.
“This is the first contract with the Serbian Ministry of Defense for the supply of new helicopters,” said Russian Helicopters CEO Alexander Mikheev. “Its timely implementation is very important and will contribute to further development of relations between our two countries. When we receive a request from the Serbian side, we will be ready to provide timely after-sales service.”
In addition, under the terms of the contract Serbian crews of four pilots and two flight engineers were trained at the Kazan Helicopter Plant’s aviation training center (ATC). The retraining included a theoretical course, simulator training, as well as daytime and night flights.
In addition to the pilots, three master technicians and four radio-electronic equipment specialists also completed the course.
Starting this year the ATC is implementing a program of outreach flight training for helicopter crews. This project is unique in that the flights are tailored to each country’s specific terrain and weather conditions, which helps pilots learn the technique of flight operations.
Kazan Helicopter Plant specialists will also conduct flight training in Serbia.
The aviation training center at Kazan Helicopter Plant was established in 1995. In over 20 years it trained nearly 9,000 professionals.
The center offers courses for retraining and advanced training of flight and technical staff by instructors who are the company’s leading specialists. The ATC staff is taught at leading helicopter centers in Russia and abroad, constantly improves teaching skills, and receives certification from aircraft manufacturing companies.
All training programs for civil aviation at the ATC are approved by the Federal Agency of Air Transport (Rosaviatsia). The ATC provides training on Mi-8/17 and Ansat helicopters. In the future, there are plans to establish a similar program for the Mi-38 helicopter training.
