Russian State Corporation Rostec, Italy’s Finmeccanica and Russian oil company Rosneft have signed a tripartite agreement to launch pr...
Russian State Corporation Rostec, Italy’s Finmeccanica and Russian oil company Rosneft have signed a tripartite agreement to launch production of Agustawestland AW 189 helicopters in Russia.
Under the agreement, HeliVert, a joint venture between Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland (subsidiaries of Rostec and Finmeccanica respectively) will produce the medium weight AW 189 helicopters at its plant near Moscow.
The strategic partnership agreement was signed by Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov, Finmeccanica Group head Mauro Moretti and Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin.
Rosneft, the world's largest publicly-traded oil company, will be the launch customer for the Russian built AW 189s. By 2025, HeliVert is due to deliver 160 helicopters to Rosneft.
Initialy HeliVert will deliver a batch of 2 AW 189 helicopters, followed by additional 8 units, to allow Rosneft to familiarize with the new technology.
The multirole AW 189 helicopter has a maximum take-off weight of 8.3 tonnes and is designed specifically for offshore, search and rescue and transportation roles.
The standard AW 189 cabin can carry 16 passengers. It has a maximum cruising speed of 287 km/hr, a maximum range of 600 nautical miles (1111 km) with additional fuel tanks.
The HeliVert JV has been assembling medium twin-engined AW139s, with a take-off weight of 6300/6800 kg since June 2012. Today the centre also provides comprehensive maintenance and repair service to AW 139s made in Russia and Italy.
