A light multipurpose helicopter with coaxial rotors, the Ka-226T, developed by the Russian Helicopters company (a subsidiary of Oboronprom, which is part of the Rostec State Corporation), took part in test search and rescue missions as part of preparations for the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, 2014.

The test flights of Ka-226T which was equipped with a medical module took place in the Krasnaya Polyana region near Sochi in early Spring 2013. Flights were conducted with medical personnel from the Southern Regional Center for Emergency Medicine, the rescue service of “Rosengeneering Operation” which provides services for the maintenance and operation of the organization of ski resorts, as well as senior engineers from the flight test facility of the Russian Helicopters. Flights were controlled by an honored test co-pilot Pavel Kalinin, the aircraft was operated by the honored test pilot Yury Timofeev.

The goal of these test flights is training for rescue missions and medical help aboard the Ka-226T. The flights were conducted according to the some of the more likely scenarios that may occur while providing safety during the Winter Olympic Games in 2014.

An evacuation of mock victims with “moderate” to “severe” injuries was conducted with an in-flight reanimation practiced in the medical module. During the test flights, Ka-226T’s landing on ski slopes and rough mountaneous terrain was practiced, as was loading rescue teams in the helicopter with mock victims – all with the help of the on-board equipment.

The head doctor of the Southern Regional Center for Emergency Medicine, Igor Deryugin, noted the maximum comfort and safety of loading the victim onboard. And the medical module, according to his words, “allows to perform full-scale medical help in-flight, including extended reanimation procedures and necessary invasive procedures.”

The director of the rescue service of “Rosengeneering Operation” Sergei Reshetnikov also praised the helicopter’s performance. “The Ka-226T is perfectly suited for rescue operations in mountainous terrain and is capable of high-level performance on missions of any complexity”, said Mr. Reshetnikov. Besides that, he noted the excellent state of readiness of the helicopter’s medical module for evacuating the sick and the injured.

The Ka-226T helicopter equipped with the medical module and designed for emergency medical evacuation was the centerpiece of the sixth annual international expo HeliRussia 2013 that took place today in Moscow’s Crocus City expo center. The new Ka-226T allows for transportation of a sick person from one medical institution to another while maintaining patient’s vital functions. The functional and comfortable interior of the medevac version of the Ka-226T is equipped with a wide array of modern intensive care tech. The helicopter’s construction allows for comfortable and safe loading and unloading of stretchers with victims through a large hatch. The height of the transport cabin is 1.4 m. and it ensures convenience in the delivery of assistance to the affected persons during transportation.

Ka-226T with the Turbomeca Arrius 2G1 engine sports a module-based construction and can be used as a medevac, patrol or an airborn insertion helicopter. Excellent controllability and modern pilot-navigation equipment allow the Ka-226T to easily maneuver in dense urban areas and mountaneous terrain, and the lack of the tail rotor and the helicopter’s compact size allow the Ka-226T to land on small helipads.

The Winter Olympics is international sporting event to be held in Sochi in 2014. Russia holds its first Winter Olympic Games. After the end of the Olympic Games in Sochi, Paralympic Winter Games 2014 are going to take place. The organizer of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2014 is the Organizing Committee “Sochi 2014”.