Sino-Russian AHL in the pipeline

On June 16, Russian company Rostec Corporation announced its intention to sign a cooperation agreement with Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC)

by the end of the year. The agreement will focus on the design and development of a new heavyweight helicopter. “Negotiations and the aircraft’s characteristics

have been finalized,” explained Victor Kladov, Director of International Cooperation and Regional Policy at Rostec. “We are currently drafting the contract that will

bring us together—we hope to have signed by the end of 2017.” The helicopter, currently known as the Advanced Heavy Lifter (AHL), will be jointly developed by

Russian Helicopters and Avicopter, entities of the large corporations previously mentioned. Its maximum takeoff weight will be 38.2 tons, with an operational

ceiling of 5,700 meters and a flight autonomy of 630 kilometers at a maximum cruising speed of 300 km/h. Its internal payload should reach 10 tons (15 tons

external).

By François Blanc