On 26 February 2020, Russian Helicopters Holding of the Rostec State Corporation announced that it had delivered the first production Mi-38 series helicopter to a customer. The transfer ceremony took place at the Kazan Helicopter Plant and was attended by Rustam Minnikhanov, President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Andrey Boginsky, general director of the Russian Helicopters holding, as well as Yuri Pustovgarov, managing director of the Kazan Helicopter Plant.
The first serial civilian Mi-38 helicopter (registration 14341, serial 01-05 and construction number 26005) was manufactured at the Kazan Helicopter Plant (KVZ) for the Gazprombank Leasing Corp., with JSC Russian Helicopter Systems (RVS) as the future helicopter operator. The helicopter has a VIP outfit.
The Mi-38 is a multi-purpose helicopter that shall occupy a niche between the medium Mi-8 and the heavy Mi-26. The helicopter is designed to carry up to ten people for business class transportation, and can be used for transportation of goods and passengers, Search and Rescue operations, a flying hospital or an offshore helicopter. The projected demand of potential buyers for the Mi-38 by 2030 is over 100 aircraft. The flight range in the transport configuration is up to 745 miles with additional fuel tanks). With a maximum take-off weight of 15.6 tons, the helicopter can haul up to 5 tons of load on board or on an external sling.
Photo credits: Russian Helicopters
