The first flight of the MI-171A3 helicopter to work on the oil and gas shelf

20.12.2021       

He made the first flight of the Mi-171A3 — the first Russian specialized helicopter for servicing offshore drilling platforms and, concurrently, a new stage in the development of the Mi-8/Mi-17 family. Read more — in the author's column of the military observer, expert of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) Alexander Ermakov, especially for Gazeta.Ru. According to a press release, the crew, consisting of senior test pilot Alexander Klimov and test pilot Vladimir Kutanin, performed a series of short vertical maneuvers, as well as turns and movement of the helicopter in all directions at various speeds.
This is not just another helicopter in the Mi-8/Mi-17 family (to put it mildly, there are many of them, it is easy to get confused in their indices), but a milestone for the development of the family and Russian helicopter industry machine. For the first time, an offshore helicopter that meets world standards has been created. Offshore vehicles are designed to fly long distances over the sea, primarily to service offshore drilling platforms.
salvation.
In this case, it's not a figure of speech — there is the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP), which is engaged in the development of common standards of work, including in the field of security, including those relating to offshore helicopters.
Without compliance with these standards, it will be more difficult with insurance, and in a project with international participation (and there are many of them in the north), partners may simply refuse to fly and require the purchase of standardized equipment. For these reasons, our giants in the oil and gas sector are forced to purchase Western equipment — its own under the requirements of IOGP did not fit. This is not surprising, since the requirements are prohibitive, the highest in aviation, and it is impossible to meet them without specifically laying them out.
Direct design of the new Mi-17 modification was started by the Russian Helicopters holding company. in 2018, in 2020, a contract was signed with the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade.
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