UTair places launch order for Mi-34C1

The development of the Mil Mi-34C1 light single-engine helicopter has received a significant boost after Russia’s largest rotorcraft operator UTair Aviation placed a 10-ship launch order in May. Deliveries should start in 2012; the contract’s value is not being disclosed. According to UTair CEO Andrey Martirosov, the company will use the Mi-34s for pilot training at a soon-to-be-opened corporate flight school, as well as for monitoring and patrol missions in the interests of oil-and-gas customers. Martirosov says UTair may need up to 50 helicopters of this type depending on customer demand.

The Mi-34C1 is an improved version of the 1,450-kg MTOW Mi-34 training and sports rotorcraft whose production was suspended in the early 2000s. The baseline version is currently operated by private and government customers in Russia, Kazakhstan, Hungary and Nigeria. The new modification will feature a more powerful 365 hp M9FV piston engine, a new avionics suite and improved cabin interiors. According to the Russian Helicopters holding company, a Mi-34С1 prototype will start flight trials this summer and is likely to take part in the flight display at the MAKS 2011 air show in Zhukovsky in August.