Crash-resistant fuel system for Russian helicopters

Technodinamika holding company is showcasing at its HeliRussia 2016 stand a crash-resistant fuel system for helicopters. A clean-sheet design, the system has already passed the factory tests, CEO Maxim Kuzyuk says.

The first helicopter type to receive the system has yet to be approved by the Federal Air Transport Agency under the new fuel system safety requirements. “The question is when an aircraft emerges that we could test the system on,” Kuzyuk notes. “We are in talks with Russian Helicopters, but so far no type has been identified as the first helicopter for which we would build a fixed system of the required size and shape.”

The two potential candidates are the Kamov Ka-62 and the Mil Mi-38, whose transport variant was certified in Russia late last year. “There are no other candidates on the horizon in the near future; as for the Mi-8/17/171 family, no [fuel system safety] requirements have been introduced for it yet,” Kuzyuk says. “However, there are sure to emerge customers who will be willing to have a crash-resistant fuel system on their helicopters; then we will be prepared to offer them our product.”