Breaking news
Algeria's Mi-171 helicopters upgrade program about to be completed.
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World Defense & Security News - Algeria
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Algeria's Mi-171 helicopters upgrade program about to be completed
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Russia's St. Petersburg Aircraft Repair Company (SPARK) is completing the overhaul of 39 Algerian Mil Mi-171 (NATO reporting name: Hip) helicopters built by the Ulan-Ude Aircraft Plant, a defense industry source told TASS on Wednesday.
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 An Algerian Mi-171 "Hip" utility helicopter |
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"A small number out of the 39 Mi-171Sh rotorcraft remains to be overhauled, with the aircraft to be shipped to the customer within weeks," the source said.
According to him, the night vision goggles used by the Mi-171Sh crews have been repaired along with the helicopters and been shipped to the customer. The goggles were developed by Geofizika-NV in Moscow. As was reported in the press, Algeria and Russia’s official arms exporter Rosoboronexport made a deal in 2002 for 42 Mi-171Sh helicopters worth $180 million. The aircraft had been delivered from 2002 to 2004, with three having been lost by the operator since then. The Mi-171Sh transport/attack helicopter is an upgraded variant of the Mil Mi-8 (Hip) utility helicopter, designed for eliminating hostile materiel, including armored vehicles, as well as fortifications, weapon emplacements and manpower. In addition to unguided weapons, the helicopter’s weapons suite includes precision-guided munitions, including the 9M120 Ataka and 9M114 Shturm antitank guided missiles. The aircraft carries 37 troops in full battle rattle, 12 casualties on the litters or 4 tons of cargo and is fit for search and rescue and casevac/medevac operations. The Mi-171Sh is equipped with two enhanced-power VK-2500 engines and a defensive aids suite. Its cockpit has multifunction displays, showing the digital map among other things, and an advanced flight/navigation suite compatible with the GPS and GLONASS navigation systems. The Mi-171Sh features an extended service life allowing considerable life-cycle maintenance savings. |
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