press trust of india
Zhukovsky (Russia), July 30: Russia and India are holding negotiations for the supply of 48 Russian Mi-17 military transport helicopters, with Moscow hoping to seal the deal by the end of this year, a top Russian official has said.
Russian arms supplier Rosoboronexport’s CEO Alexander Mikheev said India has more than 300 helicopters belonging to the Mi-8 and Mi-17 family, which are deployed in troop and arms transport, fire support, convoy escort, patrol, and search-and-rescue (SAR) missions. He said India knows their specifications well.
Mikheev said Russia and India are holding talks with a view to sign a contract for 48 (Mi-17V-5) helicopters and the techno-commercial negotiations are set to commence in August.
“We hope that we will reach an agreement before the end of this year,” he told a select group of journalists here on the sidelines of Russia’s premier air show MAKS 2017. Last year, Russia had handed over to India the final batch of three Mi-17V-5 military transport helicopters under a previously signed contract with Rosoboro-nexport, a company of the Rostec State Corporation that entailed a total of 151 units of the Mi-17V-5 helicopter, produced by the Kazan Helicopter Plant. Designed to transport cargo inside the cabin and on an external sling, the Mi-17V-5 is considered to be one of the world’s most advanced military transport helicopters.