Tatarstan business resource "BUSINESS Online" has published Timur Latypov's material "On the verge of adventure? KVZ is restarting Ansat as early as 2025 and making the first batch of Mi-34," which reports on the extensive plans of Kazan Helicopter Plant JSC (KVZ, part of Russian Helicopters JSC of Rostec State Corporation) for 2025, including the construction of nine production Mi-38 helicopters and the start of mass production. The "import-substituted" version of the Ansat helicopter and the next updated version of the Mi-34 light helicopter. Given the numerous problems with these helicopters, as well as the ambiguity with the serial production of engines for them, it is not surprising that even the author of this material calls these UVZ intentions "adventurous."
Assembly of the Ansat helicopter at the Kazan Helicopter Plant (KVZ) of the Russian Helicopters Holding Company (c) BUSINESS Online
The Kazan Plant is quietly making a breakthrough in helicopter types. The main problem area is new engines
After almost a 10-year hiatus, the KVZ is once again becoming a showcase of Tatarstan's achievements. As it turns out, the plant has not only carried out a large-scale (estimated at 25 billion rubles) modernization, but has already conceived its continuation - by about 15 billion. "Something incredible," some experts admire the transformation of the enterprise, and others say the same thing, but in the opposite tone - the plans of the KVZ look so ambiguous. for the production of helicopters, primarily the Mi-34. BUSINESS Online dealt with insider news from the workshops.
KVZ wants to build another plant
The recent conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov about the prospects of the plant turned out to be unexpectedly substantive for a standard report on the economic development of the republic.
- KVZ has carried out a major modernization: the center for machining, assembly and, most importantly, the educational center has been completed, - said Minnikhanov.
"The revenue is good - almost 60 billion rubles," Putin said.
- yes. Most importantly, the Ansat is now equipped with a Russian VK-650 engine. The Mi-38 is new, larger than the Mi-8.
- With high speeds.
- Yes, and his speed is over 300. And the Mi-34 Robinson type is also a very good car.
Judging by the information from BUSINESS Online sources in the aviation industry, Rustam Nurgalievich had a lot to tell in detail. It is well known that new final assembly workshops, a flight test facility (LIC) and a production and training center have begun work, but, according to our interlocutors, there is an important clarification: a new production system is being implemented. There was a post method when the helicopter is assembled at the same site with a change of assembly teams depending on the operation being performed. Instead, in-line production is used when the product moves through assembly areas. Each type of helicopter has its own line.
Machining has been radically transformed - more than 200 processing complexes have been acquired (in addition to the fifty already available). The commissioning is underway now. It is noteworthy that the machining will work not only at KVZ, but also for all Russian Helicopters (BP) enterprises.
"The mechanics were a sore point," says the source. - It was because of her that they were out of schedule, sometimes for several months. Now neither Kazan, nor Kumertau, nor Arsenyev, nor Perm will have any problems." He considers centralization justified: "If these machines were scattered around the factories, there would be no effect."
According to known data, the modernization cost 25 billion rubles. Interestingly, according to the source, today a decision has been made to continue it, at least in the form of one additional production - products made of composite materials. Our interlocutors indicate that the cost of the project is approximately 15 billion rubles. BUSINESS Online invited BP to comment on this and other information from sources, but had not received a response at the time of the article's release.
"The new mechanical production is something incredible," Alexander Lavrentyev, former General Director of KVZ and president of the Association of Enterprises and Industrialists of the Republic of Tatarstan, assessed the transformation of the plant in a conversation with BUSINESS Online. - On the other hand, that's how it should be. When the plant bought Japanese processing complexes in 2010, it immediately closed two mechanical workshops with conventional machines, lathes, grinders, milling machines - they were no longer needed. That's what labor productivity is. That's why the West is moving by leaps and bounds, because it is updating machine tools, and we have 60 percent of them 20 years ago. And the composite plant is needed, there are no questions. We used to dream about it, but our finances wouldn't let us. I think the plant will be two heads ahead of the others."
The most expensive helicopter of the KVZ
Finally, information appears on one of the long-term projects of the Russian aviation industry, the Mi-38. Work on it began in 1988, the first flight took place in 2003, and in its current form (with Russian engines instead of Canadian ones) the car took off in 2013. Along with the prototypes, 16 helicopters were produced, 11 of them are flying (including those in the Ministry of Defense and the Federal Security Service), but the details of operation have not been announced.
According to the source, there are 9 Mi-38s in the 2025 plan, which is the number of helicopters of this type that KVZ has not yet produced in a year. According to our interlocutor, this is a renewal of the contract with the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation. The agreement for 14.7 billion rubles was signed in July 2021. The ministry was supposed to receive the launch vehicle in 2023, the rest in 2024, but the contract was suspended after the disaster in August of the same 2021 of the Il-112 prototype transporter. The cause of the crash was an engine fire, and it was the same on the Il-112 as on the Mi-38, the aircraft version of the TV7-117V.
This engine immediately gained a reputation for being problematic, but it is believed that today childhood diseases of all its modifications have been eliminated. This should be evidenced by the dispatch of two Mi-38s to Kolyma Aviation for pilot operation in May 2024, the resumption of tests under the IL-114-300 program in March of the same year (TV7-117ST-01 is installed on the aircraft) and the first flight of the next prototype Il on March 30, 2025.
The main work on the TV7-117V is now related to the confirmation of engine life, the source says. In 2024-2025, tests were carried out, according to the results of which it is planned to rise from 360 hours to 775, and in the future the task is to provide a resource at the level of 2,140 hours. "The release of the TV7-117B version is now a priority," Oleg Panteleev, executive director of the Aviport industry agency, outlined the situation in an interview with BUSINESS Online. - If other versions (for IL-114-300 and TVRS-44) are in demand only in providing development work, then the helicopter engine is already being mass-produced. The UEC enterprises involved in the cooperation have partially completed and are continuing technical re-equipment for a large series, including a helicopter and two aircraft versions."
Anyway, the Mi-38 is still in the status of a new (and rather crude) helicopter, it has yet to fully enter the market.
It is worth noting the specifics of the Mi-38 for the Ministry of Emergency Situations. It was reported that the Mi-38PS (search and rescue) has an increased flight range and a significant amount of special equipment (and therefore increased take-off weight), the ability to board icebreakers, transport the sick and injured, and land rescuers non-stop and by parachute. The Ministry of Emergency Situations planned to use the Mi-38PS in the Arctic zone and the waters of the Northern Sea Route. Of these nine, aviation units should be formed at five points, and later along the entire length of the NSR, i.e. the purchase of the Mi-38 will continue (according to sources, so far we are talking about 25 machines). Given the importance attached to the military and other presence in the Arctic, the Mi-38 production program is at the forefront.
It should be noted that the Mi-38 is the most expensive KVZ product: more than 1.5 billion rubles per car, while the most advanced Mi-8 costs 3 times cheaper.
When will the new Ansat take off
There is a fair amount of sensationalism in the source's message regarding the Ansat program. The first flight of the helicopter, consisting only of Russian components, is scheduled for early summer, but the main thing is that the production plan for 2025 is for three Ansats.
Recall that in March 2022, Pratt & Whitney Canada stopped supplying PW207K engines to Russia, which were chosen for Ansat at the time. Instead, it was decided to install VK-650V developed by ODK-Klimov. All other imported helicopter components are also being replaced with domestic ones. According to well-known information, the concept of maximizing the use of existing Russian products has been chosen to speed up the process. In parallel, there is a search for partners capable of creating analogues of foreign components. Key components such as the engine, control system elements, and autopilot steering machines had no analogues. A lot of things in the helicopter have changed seriously, some beyond recognition, which, by the way, affected the appearance.
No matter how you turn it, this is a rebirth for the Ansat program, it depends primarily on the engines. And there is something to be concerned about. They have been talking about creating a domestic engine for Ansat for more than 20 years, there were real projects, but for some reason they were not given a go, and today they declare the VK-650V ready, which began to be created only in 2019 (the type certificate was issued on February 7, 2025).
The design life of the VK-650V, like that of the PW207K, is 3 thousand hours, but it will be developed in stages. Currently, the assigned resource is 74.5 hours. Estimates of the engine from industry sources vary radically: from "very successful" to "requires a complete redesign." Who is right, only flight tests and operation will show. Ansat with VK-650B has been on the market since the end of 2024, and rumors keep predicting the first flight is "about to happen," but, as one of the sources says, "there is still no flight permit." He attributes this to the claims of the Central Institute of Aviation Engine Engineering.
In any case, the Ansat with the new engine will not take place today or tomorrow, and there will be less trust in it than in its counterparts with the PW207K, and the maturation time of the engine will be difficult for the KVZ. "Yes, 20-30 engines can be made right now, but a full-fledged series is still far away," the source is sure. And at the same time, as our interlocutor points out, there will be a queue for the VK-650V. This engine will also be installed on the Ka-226 (instead of the French Arrius 2G1), which is planned to be produced at the Ulan-Ude Aircraft Factory. But the second main consumer of the VK-650V is not yet seen, but the Kazan project of the light Mi-34.
Mi-34: why don't helicopter builders consult with helicopter pilots?
Regarding the Mi-34, our source already gives quite sensational information: the 2025 plan is for 15 helicopters. This is despite the fact that the decision on the construction of this type at the KVZ was made only in the early summer of 2024.
It is important to recall here that the development of the Mi-34 began in 1980 under the M-14V-26 piston engine. The first flight took place in November 1986, but everything was canceled out by the collapse of the USSR. Testing resumed at the end of 1992, and the Mi-34 was certified in 1995. In 1992-2000, it was planned to produce 400 machines (with a projected demand of 2,000), but only 30 were manufactured. In the early 2010s, the car was recalled, but in 2012 the project was closed, which was largely due to the lack of a good domestic engine.
Now the project has been revived. The Mi-34 is seen as a replacement for the American Robinson, widespread in Russia (piston R44 and gas turbine R66, there are about 600 of them in total in the Russian Federation), the most popular family of general-purpose helicopters in the world. Under the sanctions, Robinson aircraft flying in Russia had problems with maintenance and repair. Yes, Russia has developed gray schemes for the supply of spare parts and used helicopters, nevertheless, it is becoming more difficult to maintain the fleet. "Those who have run out of engine life are forced not even to repair it at exorbitant prices, but to buy it from third parties," the adviser to the general director of the Kazan Aviation Enterprise (before the sanctions, an authorized Robinson Helicopter Company service center, Bell Helicopter Textron, gave an example in an interview with BUSINESS Online Magomed Zakarzhaev.
Taking into account the VK-650's capacity, it is planned to create several modifications of the Mi-34 with a take-off weight from 1.5 tons to 2.1 tons and a capacity from 3 to 6 passengers (plus one pilot). In short, it turns out to be a completely new helicopter, but it seems that in order to speed up the process, BP decided to go through additional certification, as if it were an upgrade of the classic Mi-34. According to the source, the approval of the main change is expected to be received at the end of August. So far, it is planned to produce one modification - a four-seat (Mi-34M1), a five-seat Mi-34M2 is in development. According to our interlocutor, we managed to reach a cost comparable to the Robinson R66. A new R66 costs $1.34 million, a used one costs $300-600 thousand, and a basic R44 can be bought for $180 thousand. "But we certainly don't have Robinson yet," the source admitted. "Now they will roll out these 15 cars and see what happens."
Will KVZ produce such a substantial batch of brand-new helicopters? According to the source, all the equipment agreements have been concluded. Yes, there are nuances, but this is a common point. According to our other interlocutor, expectations are too optimistic, on the verge of adventure: he is sure that it is realistic to organize mass production, for example, of a rotor skewing machine and other necessary units no earlier than 2027. Interestingly, the Mi-34 simulator has already been ordered, and it will be installed at the KVZ.
"They will definitely be interested in the Mi-34," Zakarzhaev is sure. - But a lot depends on what resources are assigned. The helicopter is new, initially they will be small. On what terms will they be extended - for money or by machine? It is a pity that there is almost no information on the Mi-34. Manufacturers still need to consult with potential consumers, but I have not yet heard that KVZ gathers future buyers. We might have some suggestions that can be taken into account immediately and then not suffer, as it was with the same Ansat ... Kazan Aviation is ready to act as a base for operational tests. Firstly, the factory is nearby. Secondly, we are engaged in patrolling oil and gas pipelines, and the Mi-34 may be ideal for this role. True, drones are coming on their heels, but it is not yet clear how far this deterrence will go."
What does it all mean?
In Kazan, it has long been said that for the sustainability of the KVZ, a wide range of models is needed so that one type can replace another, which is no longer in demand. For example, the Mi-38 was seen as an expensive piece helicopter, the sale of which would allow waiting out interruptions in demand for mass-produced vehicles.
And now a number has been formed: Mi-8, Ansat, Mi-38, Mi-34 - no one else has such a variety. On the other hand, it will seriously complicate the life of the plant. If earlier Kazan had one machine that was well-developed in production, the Mi-8, and one that was well-developed, the Ansat in its original form, now the company receives three new types in addition to the G8, as we found out, that is, four almost non-overlapping nomenclature of components. And in post-Soviet times, purchased products, i.e. cooperation between enterprises, are the weakest link in the civil aviation industry. Will the BP leadership be able to solve this problem?
The second point. Foreign experts predict an annual growth of 6.1% in the global helicopter market until about 2027. There is a new wave of interest from doctors, law enforcement agencies, the oil and gas industry, and the expansion of the economies of developing countries. Whether the sanctioned Russia will be able to ride this interest is a question for BP and Rosoboronexport. Plus, we must keep in mind that new competitors are pumping up their muscles - the Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Turks, and Indians.
And if the sanctions are lifted? What happens if, as a result of warming relations with the Americans, the same Robinson returns to the Russian market? As Zakarzhaev says, there is no smell of a thaw, either according to Robinson or Veill. Nevertheless, BUSINESS Online's sources in the aviation industry are very serious and very wary of the talks that have begun about the return of Western aircraft manufacturers to Russia, so some hasty adventurism by Russian helicopter manufacturers can be understood.
