The flight crew of a Russian-made Ansat multi-purpose light helicopter produced by Russian Helicopters (a subsidiary of Oboronprom, part of State Corporation Rostec) was awarded the grand prix prize in the Mil Cup helicopter race. The competition was part of the 10^th anniversary of the Hydroaviasalon-2014 international exhibition and conference, and followed a course from Moscow to Gelendzhik, via the cities of Voronezh and Rostov-on-Don. The Ansat flight crew was led by experienced pilots from the Kazan Helicopters, including first-class test pilotchief Sergey Golotenko and third-class test pilot Mikhail Miklhailov. The Ansat helicopter (produced at Kazan Helicopters, part of Russian Helicopters) made its debut appearance at the helicopter race this year. Dmitry Rogozin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, and Denis Manturov, Minister of Trade, participated in the awards ceremony today.

“On behalf of all the employees of Russian Helicopter companies, I congratulate the flight crew and team from our Kazan Helicopters factory on their victory,” said Russian Helicopters CEO Alexander Mikheev. “This achievement once again demonstrates the excellent flight capabilities of the Ansat helicopter and its significant potential for the Russian and international markets”.

The Ansat helicopter can be used to transport cargo and passengers, for surveillance, in search and rescue operations, firefighting, and for medevac missions. It has manual and automatic piloting modes, and can be used in regular or adverse weather conditions. The Russian Ministry of Defense uses the Ansat-U (military training model) in training its helicopter flight crews.

The race began on the morning of 2 September. Helicopters took flight from Russian Helicopter System’s new heliport near the village of Podushkino (Rublevo-Uspenskoye highway, Moscow). The race consisted of 5 stages, during which participants carried out a number of exercises focused on accuracy, speed and navigation. The race ended in Gelendzhik on 3 September.

The Mil Cup helicopter race is one of the oldest and most representative helicopter competitions in Europe and has been held annually since 2003. In addition to Russian Helicopters, there were eight crews who flew foreign-made helicopters.