| "The
operation to transport the fuselage took nine days," Rostvertol-Avia Airlines'
crew commander Valery Chumakov said May 13. "The route passed through Cheboksary,
Ulyanovsk, Saransk, Penza, Saratov, Kamyshin, Volgograd, and Volgodonsk. There
were various weather conditions along the route - from winter to summer - but
that did not cause any difficulties. I have been working on Mi-26Ts for over 15
years and can say with confidence that this helicopter is ideally suited to operations
like this." Similar operations, to transport several helicopter fuselages
to Rostvertol locations for further repair work, were carried out in 2009. Thanks
to these and other operations the Mi-26T has proved to be the most effective,
and in some cases the only possible, way to transport large cargo boasting complex
dimensions internally in its internal cabin or on its external sling from a range
of remote locations. Mi-26 helicopters are also used to transport paratroopers,
the sick and injured, to deliver fuel and extinguish fires. Preparatory work is
currently underway at Rostvertol for the series production of the upgraded Mi-26T
- the Mi-26T2 helicopter with reduced crew and the latest avionics. These modernisations
significantly increase flight safety, improve its ergonomics, and facilitate the
work of the helicopter crew. The Mi-26T was designed based on the military
transport Mi-26 helicopter. Work to design the initial model by Mil Moscow Helicopter
Plant (now part of Russian Helicopters) started in the 1970s and it was first
unveiled to the global public at the Paris airshow in 1981, after the USSR Defence
Ministry recommended serial production be launched. It enjoyed such international
success that the decision was taken to develop a commercial model, the Mi-26T.
Serial production was launched on that in 1985. Unlike its predecessor, the helicopter
was fitted with additional radio communications, avionics, and navigation systems,
and an automatic hover system. It was also stripped of its military counterpart's
arms and armour. This new commercial model quickly found a broad range of commercial
uses, and a number of different configurations of it started to appear on the
market. In 1996, flight tests began on the re-fuelling variant of the Mi-26T,
and in 1997 the fire-fighting model took to the skies. Thanks to the Mi-26T's
outstanding characteristics, it has been used in a number of unique missions.
In Krasnoyarsk Territory in 1999 it was used to carry a mammoth encased in a block
of ice. In 2001, the Mi-26T helped restore the cupola and cross to the church
in Pavlovskaya settlement, Krasnodar. In 2002 and 2009 it helped evacuate 11-tonne
fuselages from US Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters that had crashed in Afghanistan.
In 2009, the Mi-26T transported a 27-metre Alinghi 5 catamaran, and a Tu-134 passenger
plane. No helicopter in the history of the helicopter-building industry has ever
carried out operations of this scale. This year marks 30 years since serial
production was launched on the Mi-26T. This anniversary of the production of these
helicopters, which can lift up to 20-tonnes of cargo, was marked by Rostvertol
(part of Russian Helicopters), which produces this model. Rostvertol, a
Russian Helicopters company, produces a wide range of Mi- helicopters and carries
out repair and modernisation work on helicopters, supplies aviation engineering
materials and provides related services. Currently Rostvertol is involved in the
series production of new generation military helicopter Mi-28N Night Hunter (Mi-28NE
export variant); the Mi-35M combat support helicopter; and the world's heaviest
multirole transport helicopter - the Mi-26T. Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant
is a subsidiary of Russian Helicopters that develops Mi- helicopters. It is named
in honour of the legendary Russian helicopter designer Mikhail Mil. Its key areas
of activity are experimental research and design, and the design, construction
and testing of prototype helicopters. Since its founding, the Plant has created
12 basic models of helicopter, including the Mi-8/17, Mi-24/35, Mi-28N(E), Mi-38
and numerous modifications. Mi-helicopters are in operation in over 100 countries
worldwide and form the backbone of helicopter aviation in Russia, the CIS, as
well as in countries in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. Russian
Helicopters, (part of State Corporation Rostec), is one of the global leaders
in helicopter production and the only helicopter design and production powerhouse
in Russia. Russian Helicopters was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Moscow.
The company comprises five helicopter production facilities, two design bureaus,
a spare parts production and repair facility, as well as an aftersale service
branch responsible for maintenance and repair in Russia and all over the world.
Its helicopters are popular among Russian ministries and state authorities (Ministry
of Defence, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Emergency Control Ministry), operators
(Gazpromavia, UTair), major Russian corporations. In 2014 its IFRS revenues increased
22,8% to RUB 169,8 billion. Deliveries reached 271 helicopters. State Corporation
Rostec is a Russian corporation founded in 2007 for the purpose of promoting the
development, production and export of hi-tech civilian and military industry products.
It comprises 700 organisations, nine of which have now been formed as holding
companies of the military-industrial complex, five of them are involved in civil
industries and 22 are directly controlled. Rostec's portfolio includes recognised
brands such as Avtovaz, Kamaz, Russian Helicopters, and VSMPO-AVISMA. Rostec's
organisations are located in 60 constituent entities of the Russian Federation
and supply their products to the markets of more than 70 countries. The revenue
of Rostec in 2013 amounted to RUB 1.04 trillion. The tax deductions into the treasuries
at all levels exceeded RUB 138 billion. | 
