State Corporation Rostec, Italy’s Finmeccanica and the oil company Rosneft have signed a tripartite agreement on strategic partnership. Under the agreement, the HeliVert plant near Moscow, a joint enterprise between Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland (subsidiaries of Rostec and Finmeccanica respectively) will launch production of medium AW189 helicopters, HeliVert currently produces medium commercial AW 139 helicopters (a lighter class) for Russia and CIS countries. Rosneft, the worlds largest publicly-traded oil company, is joining the project as a new partner. Rosneft is slated to become the first customer for the AW189. By 2025, HeliVert is due to produce and deliver 160 helicopters to Rosneft. A preliminary phase of the cooperation will see the introduction of a first batch of 2 AW189 helicopters, followed by additional 8 units, to allow the operator to familiarize with the new technology and to set up the needed and appropriate infrastructures to get ready once Rosneft is ready for full scale operations with the new model. [..] The multirole AW189 AgustaWestland is an intermediate class of helicopter, with a maximum take-off weight of 8.3 tonnes. This versatile helicopter was designed specifically for offshore use and search-and-rescue operations, and also to carry out cargo and passenger transport roles. The standard AW189 cabin is designed to 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. Launching assembly of the AW189 is another major project that will be implemented at HeliVert. The joint venture has been assembling medium twin-engined AW139s, with a take-off weight of 6300/6800 kg since June 2012. In December that year, the first Russian-made AW 139 took to the skies on its maiden flight. In autumn 2014, Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland announced the creation of a maintenance and repair centre for AW 139 helicopters. Today, the centre provides a comprehensive maintenance and repair service to various models of medium AW 139 helicopters made in Russia or Italy.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 13:04:14 +0000
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