Military Mi-8/17s and heavy-lift Mi-26 transport helicopters of the Russian Air Force are working alongside commercial Mi-8/17s and Mi-26Ts as part of the ongoing clean-up efforts following the recent widespread flooding in Russia’s Far East. The flooding was the severest in the region for a decade, covering Amur Region, the Jewish Autonomous Region and Khabarovsk Region. More than 23,000 people have been evacuated.

Two Mi-26s fr om the Central Military District have ferried in large amounts of humanitarian aid, specialized vehicles and rescue equipment, as well as food, warm clothing and medicines. The helicopters have flown more than 50 flights and made maximum use of their unique lifting capacities, transporting more than 250 tons of cargo into the stricken regions.

Another Mi-26 belonging to the Russian Defence Ministry was converted into a mobile aircraft-refueling station, making timely deliveries of more than 14,000 litres of aviation fuel that was used by other helicopters working in the flooded areas.

An Mi-26T from the Emergencies Ministry’s (EMERCOM) Far East Regional Centre helped to evacuate residents of the village of Ivanovka in the Zeisk district of Amur Region, wh ere the river Urkan flooded more than 150 homes and other buildings. The Centre activated two Mi-26Ts and seven multirole Mi-8MTVs in total.

The military Mi-26 and the commercial Mi-26T are the world’s heaviest-lift helicopter in serial production, able to carry up to 20 tons of cargo in its cabin or on an external sling. Russian Helicopters manufactures the Mi-26 and Mi-26T at Rostvertol, its production facilities in Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia. Staff from Rostvertol havze helped maintain the helicopters operating in the stricken areas in good working order. The plant’s employees have also collected funds to support residents of Amur Region affected by the natural disaster.

Mi-8/17 series helicopters are renowned around the world and are in high demand. For many years these models have been leaders in the medium-class helicopter segment. Helicopter operators in numerous countries say that they set the standard for quality, safety and reliability. Mi-8/17 multirole helicopters fly a broad range of missions around the world. More than 12,000 of these helicopters have been produced. The latest version, the Mi-171A2, was showcased in August at MAKS 2013.