Deliveries of Ansat helicopter with Russian engine to begin in 2026 - industry and trade minister

MOSCOW. Feb 27 (Interfax) - The Industry and Trade Ministry expects that certification flights of the import-substituted version of the Ansat helicopter with the domestically produced VK-650 engine will be completed by the end of 2025, possibly in Q3, with serial deliveries starting the following year.

"This year, our main priority is to complete certification, and deliveries will begin next year," Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel.

The VK-650V recently received a type certificate, confirming that the engine meets all airworthiness standards and is ready for mass production, Alikhanov said.

"We plan to begin certification flights in the near future, which will allow us, let's say, by the end of the year, but we actually aim to finish earlier, and we hope to complete this work in the third quarter, so we can start delivering the Ansats," he said. The helicopters are expected to be in demand for business aviation as well as medical services, he said.

The Ansat is a light multipurpose helicopter designed for passenger and cargo transportation (inside the cabin or on an external sling) as well as search and rescue, patrol and medical operations. Serial production is carried out at the Kazan Helicopter Plant, part of the Rostec corporation's Russian Helicopters.

Before the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions in 2022, the Ansat was equipped with Canadian Pratt & Whitney engines. United Engine Corporation enterprises are developing the VK-650V engine to replace them.

In early February, the head of the Federal Air Transport Agency, Dmitry Yadrov, said that the first flight of the Ansat helicopter with a domestic engine is planned for April this year.