Mi-171 helicopter Image Credit:Russian Helicopters South African aerospace-defense firm Paramount Group is restarting production of co...
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| Mi-171 helicopter Image Credit:Russian Helicopters |
South African aerospace-defense firm Paramount Group is restarting production of composite main and tail rotor blades for Mi-17 hip transport and Mi-24 hind attack helicopters.
Paramount acquired the capability from Advanced Technologies and Engineering (ATE), now Paramount Advanced Technologies, which opened its composite rotor blade facility in Midrand in October 2006.
Composite rotor blades can outlast the life of the helicopter, whereas metal blades have to be replaced several times during the helicopter's life span. Compared with metal blades which have to be replaced set-by-set, composite rotor blades can be replaced blade-by-blade and are more damage tolerant in operation. The blades can also be introduced without changing the helicopter's rotor head.
Paramount also intends to produce composite blades for other helicopters in the near future.
Paramount says the Mi-17 and Mi-24 series of helicopters are very prolific, with some 3 000 flying, each with five main rotor blades. In the past Russian Helicopters has controlled the supply of rotor blades.
