Russian Helicopters has signed a deal with France's Turbomeca for the delivery of some 308 Ardiden 3G turboshaft engines for installation in a modified version of its Kamov Ka-62 twin-engine light utility helicopter.
The value of the deal has not been disclosed.
The Ardiden, selected by the Russian holding in February, is optimized for 5-8 ton class helicopters.
The Ka-62 is the civilian variant of the Ka-60, the only Kamov helicopter to have a conventional main and tail rotor layout instead of co-axial rotors.
The engine replaces the Saturn RD-600 turboshaft engine, originally installed in the Ka-60, which failed to meet fuel consumption requirements and had gearbox problems.
Russia's state aerospace holding company, Oboronprom, which owns Russian Helicopters, received a loan of around $106 million from state lender VEB last week for the final development of the helicopter.
The Ka-62 is designed to fulfill a wide range of roles including carrying 15-16 passengers or around 2500 kg external loads. The machine has a rotor system partly made of composite materials.
Certification for the helicopter is planned for 2014. The main market for the machine is likely to be in Russia's oil and gas sector, and also in search and rescue operations.
Turbomeca says it is in talks with Russian Helicopters over after-sales service for its engines.
In 2009, Turbomeca and Russian Helicopters signed contracts for the development and serial engine production of the Arrius 2G1 to be installed on the coaxial Ka-226T.
MOSCOW April 27 (RIA Novosti)
