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HeliRussia 2010 - third time in Russia

HeliRussia-2009 Post Release

HeliRussia-2008 Post Release

 

3rd International Helicopter Industry Exhibition HELIRUSSIA 2010
May 20 – 22, 2010, Moscow, International Exhibition Center “Crocus Expo”
Pavilion No. 1, Hall No. 4

According to the decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1275-r of September 2, 2009, the 3rd International Helicopter Industry Exhibition HELIRUSSIA 2010 took place on May 20 - 22, 2010 on the Crocus Expo IEC grounds. The Exhibition was organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation on the initiative of the Helicopter Industry Association. The planner was Russian Helicopter Systems JSC. The exhibition organizing committee was headed by Denis Manturov, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade. The title sponsor of HELIRUSSIA 2010 was OPK OBORONPROM JSC, the official sponsor was Eurocopter Vostok.

156 companies from 14 countries (Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, the USA, Great Britain, France, Sweden, Italy, Germany, Poland, Libya, Slovakia, Belgium, and Israel) took part in the Exhibition this year. The first Exhibition hosted 129 companies from 10 countries to present their expositions, including 22 foreign companies; the second Exhibition involved 144 companies from 16 countries, including 32 foreign ones. This year 40 overseas companies took part in the Exhibition.

HELIRUSSIA 2010 brought together developers and manufacturers of helicopters, simulators and spare parts, cockpits and special equipment for helicopters. It also attracted  companies engaged in ground support and radar control, equipment of helipads, maintenance centers and fuelling complexes, transport, leasing and insurance companies as well as helicopter equipment dealers. For the first time the Gyros 1, Gyros 2, Inspector and MAI-208 gyrocopters were on display.

15 helicopters were demonstrated at the Exhibition: МI-28 NE (Night Hunter), Ansat, MI-34S1, MI-2, EC175, AW139, AW109, Bell 407, MD520, HummingBird 260L (Vertical Aviation Technologies), A600 Talon (Rotor Way), АK1-3 (Aerocopter Design Bureau), R44 (3 pieces). Among them Eurocopter’s EC175 and AgustaWestland’s AW139 were for the first time presented to the Russian public. Helicopters HummingBird 260L of Vertical Aviation Technologies, A600 Talon of Rotor Way, АK1-3 of Aerocopter Design Bureau were novelties among full-scale exhibits of the HELIRUSSIA.

Cables and letters of congratulation addressed to participants, organizers and visitors to the Exhibition were received from Dmitry Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation, and Sergey Ivanov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Vladislav Putilin, First Deputy Chairman of the Military-Industrial Commission at the Government of the Russian Federation, and Sergey Prikhod’ko, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation.

The following officials took part in the opening ceremony of the Exhibition which took place on May 20, 2010 at 12:00 in pavilion No. 1 of Crocus Expo IEC.

 

• Leonid Reiman, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation,
• Denis Manturov, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation,
• Valery Okulov, Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation
• Andrey Reus, Director General of OPK OBORONPROM JSC
• Michael Kazachkov, Chairman of the Board of the Helicopter Industry Association,
• and others.

 

Leonid Reiman read the address of Dmitry Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation, to visitors and participants of the Exhibition. The message said, in particular, that “Having earned the attention of major helicopter manufacturing companies from Russia and other countries, HELIRUSSIA 2010 has become one of the most prestigious international events in this high-tech industry”. “Today, based on the strong connection between science and production, based on the development of innovations, we need to step up our efforts to modernize industry’s enterprises and encourage mutually beneficial cooperation with our foreign partners”.

Denis Manturov, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, read the greeting address of Sergey Ivanov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, which highlighted the achievements of domestic helicopter manufacturers: “Capability of the domestic helicopter equipment manufacturers to design and create competitive products constitutes a prerequisite for successful work within the frameworks of priority and innovative development of the country”. The greeting says, that “…the Exhibition will contribute to demonstration of high potential of the Russian companies and presentation of the significant investment projects focused on meeting ambitious challenges of the contemporary world”.

Andrey Reus, Director General of OPK OBORONPROM stated that HELIRUSSIA 2010 is expanding from year to year demonstrating the growing interest of manufacturers and helicopter operators.

“The helicopter market is one of the most fast-growing markets in the world, and I hope this tendency proceeds”, A. Reus said.

He placed great emphasis on the development of cooperation with the global helicopter manufacturers and welcomed the key helicopter players participating in the event :AgustaWestland, Eurocopter, Safran, as well as enterprises of Ukraine. “I think that there will be enough space in this market for all of us, and we will jointly succeed in new equipment manufacturing”, A. Reus said.

116 national companies (both subsidiaries of Russian Helicopters, JSC and independent manufacturers and operators from regions) covered a significant number of expositions at the Exhibition. The exhibited military-purpose products most completely displayed national achievements in this sphere. Russian combat helicopter MI-28NE (Night Hunter) displayed in front of pavilion No. 1 of Crocus Expo IEC was the most impressive exhibit representing military-purpose products.

The Russian exposition representing 18 companies was based on the OPK OBORONPROM joint stand which comprised the Russian Helicopters Holding and the United Engine-Building Corporation.

The second day of the Exhibition, May 21, was announced as the “Russian Helicopters” day when the Holding presented a model range of Russian-made helicopters and options of their application in the regional air transportation. The capability of  Russian Helicopters, JSC to produce, deliver and service helicopters and related equipment as well as prospective outlook of the Russian helicopters were on the agenda of the Russian Helicopters for Regional Aviation Conference that aimed to establish  closer cooperation with state and commercial operators within the framework of regional aviation development and to outline plans for next-generation helicopters.

On the first exhibition day OPK OBORONPROM and Italian AgustaWestland signed a specification for building the Italian AW139 helicopter assembly shop in Russia. Andrey Reus, Director General of OPK OBORONPROM, and Juseppe Orsi, CEO of AgustaWestland, affixed their signatures to the document. It was this particular model that was displayed at AgustaWestland’s stand.

40 foreign helicopter industry companies took part in HELIRUSSIA 2010, including leaders of the global market like Eurocopter, AgustaWestland, Bell Helicopter, MD Helicopters, Motor Sich, Ivchenko-Progress State Enterprise, Turbomeca, Zodiac Data Systems, Becker Avionics, Pall Corporation, Red Box International, Breeze-Eastern, Simplex Manufacturing and others.

At HELIRUSSIA 2010 Eurocopter presented the EC175 helicopter which was designed in cooperation with UTair experts and is equipped with the avionics produced by the Russian Tranzas from St. Petersburg. At the Russian Heli-Expo the helicopter was exhibited in an offshore configuration for 16 passengers.

At HELIRUSSIA 2010 Bell Helicopter announced opening of a network of service centers in July, 2010 in Moscow and St. Petersburg to support its growing fleet. Today 25 Bell helicopters are operated in Russia, this year 6 more helicopters will be delivered and contracts for 3 vehicles are under examination, representatives of the company at the Exhibition informed.

Motor Sich showcased the TV3-117VMA-SBM1V helicopter engine designed by the Ukrainian engine-builders. It allows helicopters to reach record rate of climb and flight altitude. The experts of this company worked for ten years on creation of the engine capable to operate in take-off mode for 30 minutes. During the Exhibition the MI-8 helicopter equipped with new engines set a world record in rate of climb and altitude, having risen vertically to the altitude of 8,100 meters in 13 minutes.

This year, for the first time the French joint stand comprising 13 companies was formed. The exhibitors from France totally numbered 16 companies and outnumbered other foreign countries. That is how the year of France in Russia was marked at the Exhibition.

It has become a tradition for the Helicopter Association International (HAI) to participate in HELIRUSSIA. Its delegation not only represented the Association but also participated in the international conference on Helicopter Market: Reality and Prospects, seminar on Flight Safety: Russian and American Experience and in the Helicopter Industry Association Prize Award Ceremony.

Ambassadors and military attaches of France, Brazil, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Egypt, Republic of Korea, China, Thailand, Peru, Libya, India, Indonesia, Spain, Venezuela, Israel and other countries showed their interest in the Exhibition.

The Exhibition had a vast business program. The Second International Conference on Helicopter Market: Reality and Prospects became one of its key events. It was organized by the Helicopter Industry Association and AviaPort agency. The conference considered parameters of the Russian helicopter market from the position of helicopter equipment consumers and manufacturers. Forecasts on the global, American and Russian helicopter markets were presented by Honeywell Aerospace (Charles Park, Director for Marketing Analysis and Planning), HAI (President Matt Zuccaro) and the Helicopter Industry Association (Mikhail Kazachkov, Chairman of the Board) respectively. The conference took place on the first day of the Exhibition and had a wide response among participants of the Russian helicopter market.

The Round Table on Issues of Aviation Condensed Fuel Use in MI-8 helicopter family (Organizers – Zhukovsky Central Institute of Aerohydrodynamics, State R&D Institute of Civil Aviation, InterAviaGaz JSC, ERA Science and Production Association) was devoted to alternative fuel. Realization of the offered technical solution will provide air transport of the remote regions of Russia with cheap fuel and will promote association of industrial and resource regions of the country.

The 3rd International Helicopter Industry Exhibition HELIRUSSIA 2010 was traditionally marked by the Helicopter Industry Association Annual Prize Award in nominations “Pilot of the Year”, “Designer of the Year”, “Engineer of the Year”. The Award Ceremony took place on May 21 at 16:00 on the exhibition hall stage. The Presidium of the Helicopter Industry Association decided on the following winners:  “Engineer of Year”- Valery Evtikhov, Chief of technical bureau of hull and parts treatment complex of the Reduktor-PM JSC; “Pilot of Year” – Sergey Ignatov, a Mi-8 pilot, international flight group, UTair air transport company; “Designer of the Year”– Shamil Bayazitov, leading engineer-designer of the Kazan Helicopter Factory.

HELIRUSSIA 2010 saw the XXI Century Helicopters Contest Prize Award Ceremony (Organizers – OPK Oboronprom, Russian Helicopters), as well as The Beauty of the Rotary-Wing Aircraft Photo Contest Award Ceremony.

During the exhibition the ShowObserver HeliRussia 2010 newspaper was published.

During three exhibition days the exposition was attended by more than 7 thousand people including high-ranking officials of the Russian Federation and other countries, representatives of foreign military departments, as well as businessmen and fans of helicopter sport. Quite a number of visitors were Moscow citizens with their children who enjoyed exploring cockpits and cabins of various helicopters.

The next, already the fourth International Helicopter Industry Exhibition HELIRUSSIA 2011, will be arranged at the same venue, “Crocus Expo”, from May 19 to May 21, 2011.

We are sure it will be even more fascinating and diverse.

HeliRussia-2009 – Second Time in Russia

Second International Helicopter Industry Exhibition HeliRussia-2009
May 21 – 23, 2009, Moscow, Crocus Expo International Exhibition Centre

On May 21-23, 2009 the Crocus Expo International Exhibition Centre hosted the Second International Helicopter Industry Exhibition HeliRussia-2009 organised at direction No. 8-р of the Russian Government of January 14, 2008. The exhibition was organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation under the initiative of the Helicopter Industry Association. The planner of the exhibition is CJSC Russian Helicopter Systems. The Steering Committee was chaired by Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov. Eurocopter Vostok acted as the general sponsor of the exhibition.

144 companies from 16 countries participated in the Second International Helicopter Industry Exhibition HeliRussia-2009. These included: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, USA, UK, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Columbia, Japan, Poland, New Zealand and OAE. For comparison, the participants of the first exhibition were represented by 129 companies from 10 countries, including 22 foreign companies.

The list of participants of HeliRussia 2009 comprised developers and manufacturers of helicopters, helicopter simulators, components, cabins and special helicopter equipment. The companies providing ground support, radar control and helipads development, service centres and fuel stations also had a chance to demonstrate their products. The list of participants also includes transportation, leasing and insurance companies as well as helicopter dealers.

13 helicopters were demonstrated at the exhibition. Those included: Ka–52 Alligator, Ka–226, Ansat, Mi–171, Mi–2, EC 145, AS 350, BK 117C, Colibri EC 120B and R 44 (4 items).

In order to mark the opening of the main annual event of the Russian helicopter community on May 21 the helicopter of the Russian Federal Security Service Ка–226 carried the biggest flag of the Russian Federation, with the surface area of over 1,500sq.m. At 1 pm Ка–226 made three circles around Crocus Expo and continued its flight along Moscow Ring Road. At 1:30 pm the helicopter came back to Crocus Expo and made another circle of the exhibition centre commemorating the opening of HeliRussia 2009.

The participants, organizers and guests of the exhibition received letters of congratulations and telegrams from President Medvedev and Vladislav Putilin, the First Deputy Chairman of the Military and Industrial Commission under the Government of the Russian Federation.

The welcoming speech of President Medvedev was read at the opening ceremony by Leonid Reyman, advisor to the President of the Russian Federation and President of the Russian Helicopter Federation.

The following officials took part in the formal exhibition opening ceremony at 12 pm on May 21, 2009 in Pavilion No 1 of the Crocus Expo Exhibition Centre:

• Mr. Leonid Reyman, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation,
• Mr. Denis Manturov, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation,
• Mr. Vladimir Popovkin, Deputy Chief of Armaments of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation,
• Mr. Andrey Reus, CEO of OPK Oboronprom,
• Mr. Mikhail Kazachkov, Chairman of the Board of the Helicopter Industry Association,
• And other officials.

Advisor to the President Leonid Reyman declared that thanks to the governmental support the Russian helicopter industry has very good development prospects and this exhibition will also contribute to its growth.

Mr. Reyman read out the message of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev addressed to the guests and participants of the exhibition. It was stated in the document that “the Russian helicopter industry has big scientific and technical potential and traditions”. “Such exposition will foster the exchange of technologies and strengthen international cooperation in the helicopter industry”, says the message of the Russian President. It also states that “the growing number of the exhibition participants and guests testifies to the good perspectives of this show space”.

In his turn, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov who was present at the ceremony noted that “Russia had always taken pride in its helicopter industry”. “The scientific and technical potential that we managed to preserve and the transformation that is happening in the industry now create the basis for coming back to the tasks the domestic helicopter industry has always faced”, - he said.

Mr. Manturov added that the Ministry of Industry and Trade together with the helicopter industry representatives consider mutual projects related to the development of a new line of Russian helicopters.

Another participant of the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation Vladimir Popovkin noted that the military department is interested in the development of the domestic helicopter industry as at the moment the task of fitting out the military units with helicopters is of paramount importance.

CEO of OPK Oboronprom Andrey Reus said that despite the difficult economic situation, the Russian helicopter industry, and the holding company Helicopters of Russia is one of the companies that represents it, managed not only to keep the production volume on the same level but also increase it. The Helicopters of Russia holding company works a lot on civil and military helicopters, said Mr. Reus. He assured the participants that the domestic helicopter manufacturers will be able to complete the tasks they are facing.

Over a hundred of Russian companies (both members of OJSC Helicopters of Russia and independent manufacturers and operators from the regions) presented a large scope of expositions. Samples of military products were also demonstrated at the exhibition showing the spectrum of national achievements in this field. The most striking example of defence products was the military helicopter Ка–52 Alligator, which was exhibited before the public outside of Crocus Expo Pavilion No.1.

The helicopter holding company OJSC Helicopters of Russia was in the centre of the Russian exposition. It presented its developments in cooperation with the Ural Optical Mechanics Plant named after Yalamov and CJSC Transas. The exhibition stand of OJSC Helicopters of Russia ran non stop presentations of Russian helicopters, which gathered big audiences.

Russian helicopter manufacturers also demonstrated brand new developments. For example, KB Maslova–Sever, LLC showed their new product – helicopter RU MAS 133. This is a light three-seat single-engine helicopter – a modernized version of the American helicopter with a reciprocating engine. This helicopter is only an interim stage on the way of creating a new twin-engine RU MAS 245, a kind of a flying laboratory for refinement and diagnostics of the company’s own developments, which were also presented at HeliRussia 2009.

New agricultural equipment HeliPod III Spray System used on board of helicopter R 44 for irrigation and pollination of agricultural land was presented at the exhibition. Its effectiveness is obvious – one helicopter substitutes 20 agricultural machines. This equipment was presented by Russian Helicopter Systems.

Over 30 foreign helicopter companies took part in HeliRussia 2009. The list included such leaders of the world helicopter market as Eurocopter, Bell Helicopter, MD Helicopters, Turbomeca, Becker Avionics, Pall Corporation, Breeze-Eastern, Honeywell Aerospace, Kamatics, Simplex Manufacturing, Semia and others.

Becker Avionics, Systems Simplex Manufacturing and Breeze-Eastern not only presented their products at the exhibition stands but also held presentations in the conference halls of the Crocus Expo Exhibition Centre. Japanese Gen Corporation made a video presentation of its in-house development – the smallest helicopter in the world, unofficially called a “flying seat”. Another Japanese company, Аlpha Aviation Co., presented a device for convenient hauling of helicopter R 44, which caused a lot of interest among the owners of these light helicopters.

The exhibition was visited by the representatives of INTERNATIONAL HELICOPTER SAFETY TEAM, and its Program Director Mark Liptak made a presentation at one of the conferences. The Helicopter Association International (HAI) has become a traditional participant of HeliRussia. This year its delegation not only organised an exhibition stand but also participated in the international conference Helicopter Market: Reality and Perspectives.

Ambassadors and military attachés of Bangladesh, Bolivia, Egypt, Korea, Thailand, Peru, Libya, India, Indonesia, Germany, Israel, Canada and other countries expressed their interest in the exhibition.

A big business programme was part of the exhibition. One of the key events was International Conference Helicopter Market: Reality and Perspectives, organized by Helicopter Industry Association with the support of AviaPort Agency. The conference touched upon the parameters of the Russian helicopter market from the point of view of consumers and helicopter producers. The presentations included: report on the forecast of the world helicopter market by Honeywell Aerospaсe (Market Analysis Director Charles Park), report on the American helicopter market by Helicopter Association International (Vice-President Edward DiCampli), report on the Russian helicopter market (Chairman of the Helicopter Industry Association Board Mikhail Kazachkov), report on the development prospects of the biggest Russian helicopter operators Aviation Company UTAir. The conference was held on the first day of the exhibition and caused a broad resonance among the Russian helicopter market participants.

There is a big number of Russian helicopters being operated in the world and therefore the helicopter holding OJSC Helicopters of Russia held a conference Safety of the Russian Helicopters, which was interesting both for Russian and foreign operators.

The round table Usage of Liquefied Propane and Butane – Aircraft Condensed Fuel at Mi-8 Helicopters was dedicated to Mi-8 helicopters. The round table was organized by Federal State Unitary Enterprise State Scientific Research Institute of Civil Aviation, Federal State Unitary Enterprise Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute named after Professor N.E.Zhukovsky, and OJSC InterAviaGaz. The usage of a new fuel type that helps to reduce helicopter operation costs is especially important during financial crisis; therefore the topic caused so much interest – representatives of 39 organisations participated in the round table.

Reduction of costs, optimization of business processes and work performance improvement seem to be the most vital tasks for manufacturers of helicopters and components as of today. One of the most powerful and effective instruments for solving these tasks is the world-wide acknowledged methodology of lean production (Lean Production, Lean, Kaizen, Toyota Production System). Almost all the world industry leaders – Boeing, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Bell Helicopter Textron and others – build their production systems on the basis of Lean Production. As part of the business agenda of HeliRussia 2009, Centre Orgprom conducted a presentation seminar Lean Helicopter Manufacturing: Leadership Potential, where it explained the philosophy and methodology of Lean Production using the examples of foreign and Russian companies and presented instruments that help to achieve quick and effective results.

Seminar named Program and Project Management: Industry, Objectives, Implementation Methods organized by РМ Expert was dedicated to the optimization of corporate management methods.

It was allowed to demonstrate military products at the exhibition; and for this target group the Military Academy of the Central Command of Armed Forces and the Military and Scientific Committee of the Military Aviation Forces conducted the round table “Development of the State Helicopter Aviation: Problems and their Solutions”.

Traditionally, at the Second International Helicopter Industry Exhibition HeliRussia 2009 the Helicopter Industry Association conducted an annual prize award ceremony in three nominations: Pilot of the Year, Designer of the Year, and Engineer of the Year. The ceremony took place on May 22 at 4 pm at the Exposition Pavilion. The Presidium of the Helicopter Industry Association selected the following winners: in the nomination Engineer of the Year – Olga Ionkina, head of section 20 workshop No.18 of OJSC Stupinsk Machine Building Manufacturing Enterprise; in the nomination Pilot of the Year – Sergey Konyaev, Mi-8 captain of an air squadron of the Strezhevsk branch of Aviation Company Tomsk Avia LLC; in the nomination Designer of the Year – Alexander Bayev,deputy chief designer of the service of Chief and Leading Designers and Specialists Related to OJSC Kamov.

The ceremony of awarding the winners of the competition Helicoptes of the 21st century organized by OJSC OPK Oboronprom and OJSC of Helicopters of Russia, and a photo competition Beauty of the Rotary-Wing Machines, held for the second year by the Helicopter Industry Association, also took place at HeliRussia 2009.

The third day of the exhibition was totally dedicated to the presentations of the educational institutions. Seven training institutions, including the Moscow Aviation Institute and the Helicopter Design Department, held presentations and MAI presented the developments of its design office at the exhibition stand.

The newspaper ShowObserver HeliRussia 2009 was published during the exhibition.

Over three days the exhibition was visited by more than 7 thousand people, including prominent political leaders and public officials of the Russian Federation and other countries, representatives of foreign military departments, businessmen and helicopter amateurs. The exhibition was visited by a big number of families with children who enjoyed exploring the helicopter cabins of different producers.

It should be noted that one of the honoured guests of the exhibition – Head of the Federal Security Service Aviation Nikolay Gavrilov – came to see the exposition in an Ansat helicopter that landed close to the entrance of the exhibition pavilion.

Thus, already now one can come to a helicopter exhibition in a helicopter and for that one does not need to own a helicopter or use the company one – one can use the helicopter taxi services. We did not see anything like this last year. What will happen next year?

The next, third International Helicopter Industry Exhibition HeliRussia 2010 will also be held in Crocus Expo International Exhibition Centre on May 20-22, 2010.

We are confident that it will be even more interesting and diversified.

First International Helicopter Industry Exhibition HeliRussia 2008

Russian and foreign companies presented their bestsellers and latest products in all aspects of helicopter industry: from design and manufacture to operation on 10 750 square meters of the first pavilion of modern IEC “Crocus Expo” from May 15 till 17, 2008.

129 companies took part in the exhibition, 22 of them are from foreign countries: United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France, USA, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Ukraine and Belarus.

20 helicopters were displayed at the exhibition from the manufacturers such as: Mil Helicopter plant, Kamov, Kazan, Eurocopter, AgustaWestland, Bell Helicopters, Robinson, MD.

The initiator of the exhibition holding in Moscow was Helicopter Industry Association. The organizer of the show was Russian Federal Agency of Industry. The exhibition was organized with the support from the Ministry of Industry and Energy of the Russian Federation. Deputy Minister for Industry and Energy - Denis Manturov became a convenor of the exhibition.

The telegrams and letters of congratulation for the participant and organizer were received from the Chairman of the Federal Council of the Russian Federation - Sergei Mironov, President’s Aid Sergey Prihodko, and Deputy Chief of the Russian Government Staff – Igor Borovkov.

The President of Russian Federation Dmitriy Medvedev has sent his greetings to the organizer and participants of the first International helicopter industry exhibition, which was read out at the official opening ceremony.

Official opening ceremony of the exhibition took place on May 15, 2008 at 3 pm in the first pavilion and was represented by:

• Vice prime minister - Sergei Ivanov
• Deputy Minister for Industry and Energy - Denis Manturov
• Oboronprom’s General Director – Andrey Reus
• Chairman of Helicopter Industry Association - Mikhail Kazachkov
• Consultant for Sikorsky Aircraft – Sergei Sikorsky
• And other officials

The helicopter industry development is one of the top-priority tasks for the government at the moment, stated the RF Government’s Vice Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov.

“A country, like Russia, can not cope without helicopters. The remote locations with no access to roads or river can only be reached by helicopter. There are still many locations like these”, - said Vice Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, while opening the first in Russia Helicopter Industry Exhibition HELIRUSSIA 2008. According to Mr. Ivanov, the fact that the exhibition took place means that the Government of Russia pays more and more attention to this highly important industry and that the Government hopes that “Helicopters of Russia” Corporation “will increase helicopter manufacturing rapidly”. According to him, civil helicopters are in high demand at the moment. Besides, the private helicopter market is absolutely untapped. He also hopes that Helirussia 2008 will spark helicopter market development, because helicopter industry development “enhances the whole hi-tech industry”.

Deputy Minister for Industry and Energy Denis Manturov while giving speech during opening ceremony said that at this moment a long-term program of Russian helicopter industry development is currently being worked out.

“We are expecting a private investors to spend around 150 billion rubles to implement this program“, - he said.

Oboronprom’s General Director Andrey Reus, in his turn, noticed that the today’s success in the helicopter industry consolidation is an important result.

According Andrey Reus, helicopters are one of few Russian products that operate in more than 70 countries.

“We have so called “vehicle access” theory, helicopters should play an important role and in its practical implementation”, - said Andrey Reus.

In conclusion, Sergei Sikorsky, member of famous dynasty, said his kind parting words for the first International Helicopter Industry Exhibition, cited Mikhail Mil that “God created Russia for helicopters”.

The HeliRussia 2008 exhibition opening was marked by Memorandum of Understanding signing between Russian and Canadian companies. The agreement was signed by General director of “Helicopters of Russia”, Pratt&Whitney Canada’s VP Joseph Torchetti, “UMPO” General director Alexander Artyukhov and Central Institute of Aircraft Engines Director Vladimir Skibin. The Agreement is aimed at design and manufacture of PW127T/S engine for Mi-38 helicopter. Mi-38’s putting on production is scheduled in 2012.

The agreement about full scale partnership between “Helicopters of Russia” and AgustaWestland was signed at the exhibition. First stage of the partnership is AgustaWestland helicopters delivery to Russia to the amount of half million euro until 2012. Next stages assume creation of joint venture service centers for AgustaWestland helicopters, and at the latest stage AgustaWestland helicopters joint manufacture in Russia.

The main events of celebrating 60th anniversary coaxial helicopter manufacturer – Kamov.

Memorandum of Understanding was signed at HeliRussia 2008 between “Helicopters of Russia”, Kamov and Naryan-Mar United Avia Squad regarding 5 Ka-62 helicopters supply by 2012. Similar Memorandum of Understanding was signed by aerospace company “Aviashelf”. This agreement supposes supply of 4 Ka-62 helicopters which will be used for personnel transportation to the oil wells and other tasks in Sakhalin Region.

Many agreements were reached and many contracts were signed between exhibition participants. For example, a helicopter loud-speakers supply contract was signed between “Nebo-service” and Ukrainian Border Air Patrol. An Agreement was also reached with Kazan Helicopter Plant about possibility of Nebo Service’s new equipment use. “TechKnow” signed an instrumentation and metrology equipment supply contract with “Aeropribor Voskhod”.

A Busy Business program was organized at HeliRussia 2008. The main event of the business program was the Personnel Forum and, as a part of it, Personnel training system for helicopter sector Conference. Job market also was working during the show days, where companies offered their job positions. Minpromenergo Expert Club held its first master class for executives of aircraft engineering enterprises and designers – “Aircraft Design”.

Military Academy of Russian Armed Forces General Staff and Military-Scientific Committee of Air Forces held a round table discussion – “Development of helicopter complexes for public aviation: problems and ways of their solution” with members of major tactics department of Air Forces as spokespersons.

International workshop - “Employment of advanced technologies and an integral approach to heliport equipment as a way to successful development of the Russian heliports. Trends in heliport development in the USA and Europe” and round table discussion – “Safety of and health care for flight personnel and technical staff of helicopter operator, manufacture and repair enterprises. Employment of advanced personal safety equipment” took place during the exhibition. A “flight operation problems of the home- and foreign-made helicopters” conference was interested for all the exhibition visitors and as is the case with round table discussion “VIP-type helicopter”.

Presentation of the different models of helicopters made by OJSC Russian Helicopters took place at the first International Helicopter Industry Exhibition HeliRussia 2008. Turbomeca held its presentation on the occasion of 70th Anniversary and Sergei Sikorsky told the story of his father achievements at the “Recollections of The Pioneer” presentation.

Organizers and participants of the exhibition think that the first International Helicopter Industry Exhibition was a success. For example, the general director of OJSC Russian Helicopters Andrey Shibitov, talking about the results of the exhibition, said – “I think that the exhibition was successful. Russian Helicopter industry needs such show. We support the idea of exhibition being international and attracted the best helicopter companies of the world.”

During 3 days, the exhibition was attended by approximately 10 000 people. Among them the notable politicians and officials of Russian and other countries, foreign military department representatives and also businessmen and helicopter sport fans. There were many public visitors exploring the insides of cabins of displayed helicopters.