"We now have the arctic and polar variant of the Mi-17 type helicopter, and we count on it to be popular, including in Chile, a country which is implementing a policy of exploring the Antarctic," Goreslavsky said on the sidelines of the ongoing Army-2016 international military and technical forum near Moscow.
Russia has traditionally offered the Latin American country, which claims a part of Antarctica, a range of aircraft systems, including helicopters and planes, he added, noting the priority of supplying the new Yakovlev Yak-130 advanced jet trainer, which was introduced in 2010.
"I cannot say that we are discussing some specific projects. But we hope that there will be a time when we unite the Chileans around a negotiating table," the deputy director said.
The specialized Mi-8AMTSh-VA helicopter is currently being developed by the Russian Helicopters company for military operations in polar conditions. The variant is based on the latest modification of the Mi-8AMTSh-V military transport helicopter, which is fitted with new VK-2500-03 turboshaft engines, a more powerful auxiliary power unit and upgraded avionics systems.
