Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Oboronprom, part of State Corporation Rostec, announces that the light multirole commercial Ansat with hydro-mechanical controls produced by Kazan Helicopters has obtained type certification from the Aviation Register of the Interstate Aviation Committee (AR IAC).

The certificate was presented at an official ceremony at the MAKS 2013 International Aviation and Space Salon, and was attended by officials from the Russian Industry and Trade Ministry, the IAC, Russian Helicopters and Kazan Helicopters. The certificate confirms that the Ansat meets aviation regulations and can enter commercial operation.

Kazan Helicopters, the Russian Helicopters company that designed and produces the Ansat, began work on certification of the commercial hydro-mechanical version of the helicopter in 2011. Previously Kazan Helicopters produced a fly-by-wire version of the Ansat; however, no commercial fly-by-wire helicopter had obtained certification anywhere in the world, and there were no established requirements for such a helicopter. To bring the helicopter to market more quickly it was decided to adjust the Ansat programme accordingly by switching to a traditional hydro-mechanical system. The helicopter retains the same take-off weight and technical parameters with the new controls.

"We decided to bring a helicopter with a traditional control system to the global market so as to avoid being dependent on certification of the fly-by-wire Ansat," said Kazan Helicopters CEO Vadim Ligai. "Certification of the hydro-mechanical Ansat is an important achievement for Russian industry as a whole and for the helicopter sector in particular."

Experts say that the modernized Ansat has a number of important competitive advantages over other models in its class. It is reliable and easy to operate, can tolerate a wide range of climates and temperatures, and is suitable for outdoor storage. Russian Helicopters has already demonstrated the new Ansat in key markets including the CIS, South-East Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The fly-by-wire Ansat programme continues to make successful progress in the military sector. The Russian Defence Ministry is buying the Ansat-U training model for its flight-training schools. Institutes of the Russian Air Force's Military Training Centre will also receive a consignment of Ansat-Us in November 2013 under the current contract.