Russian Helicopters MOU with PANH Helicopters to expand use of civilian helicopters

Moscow / 16th May 2013 – Russian Helicopters has signed a partnership memorandum with PANH Helicopters, a Russian helicopter operator.

Inked today at the HeliRussia 2013 trade show in Moscow, the agreement covers cooperation on stress-testing of new and modified Russian-built helicopters under production conditions, research into customers’ requirements regarding the external appearance and technical and economic capabilities of commercial helicopters and how they are used in Russia and other countries.

The companies also plan to carry out a joint assessment of the technical specifications and competiveness of current and future civilian helicopters, and to determine priorities for upgrading Russian civilian helicopters to meet market requirements.

Other projects under the agreement include the creation, production and deployment of training simulators for new Russian-built helicopters.

 “This agreement with PANH is an important step in Russian Helicopters’ efforts to work with helicopter operators at the development stage as well as when helicopters are already operational,” Russian Helicopters CEO Dmitry Petrov said. “By doing this we can meet our customers’ individual requirements better and therefore create more competitive helicopters with a personal focus on each client.”

PANH Helicopters CEO Andrei Kozlovsky said: “Our company greatly values Russian Helicopters’ customer-oriented approach. For our part, we will bring our experience of working with end-users and 50 years of research-based expertise into the applications of civil aviation.”

Russian Helicopters and PANH have for many years enjoyed a close and mutually beneficial relationship in helicopter supply and servicing. At the previous HeliRussia exhibition in 2012, Russian Helicopters’ subsidiary Helicopter Service Company signed a partnership agreement with PANH to boost cooperation in after-sales service and logistical support for Russian-built helicopters.

Thanks to that agreement, Helicopter Service Company is able to plan for the needs of PANH customers for spare parts and ensure that they are delivered when needed. As a partner of Helicopter Service Company, PANH gained the right to priority supplies of spare parts at a fixed price, to ensure uninterrupted operation not only of its own helicopters but also those of its clients.