New variants include an internal fuel tank and a new emergency flotation system.
“The Ansat helicopter project is developing to meet the needs of our customers. We are actively responding to the requests of our partners, making our products more competitive and comfortable to use. By the end of the year, we are planning to transfer a prototype representing a new generation of Ansat for testing. In addition to a wide range of optional equipment, the helicopter will receive an upgraded fuel system with increased capacity, the latest avionics for instrument flight, and a lightweight fuselage structure which includes more composite materials,” said the director general of Russian Helicopters holding company, Andrey Boginsky.
An emergency flotation system is designed to keep the helicopter afloat in the event of an emergency landing on water, with inflated ballonets that can provide buoyancy for 30 minutes. The systems consist of inflatable buoyancy chambers (ballonets), two life rafts, emergency life support package, including a radio beacon to signal the the landing site location to rescuers.
Ansats equipped with the system will be capable of flights to oil companies’ facilities located at a considerable distance from the coast as well as participation in search-and-rescue operations above the water. The Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) certified the installation of the emergency flotation systems on Ansats in 2020.
An additional fuel tank is designed to increase the ferry range of the helicopter. This option will be in demand when making long-distance flights, for example when delivering a helicopter to its permanent base of operations. An additional 192-liter fuel tank increases Ansat’s flight range by 87-93 miles, up to 404 miles.
Additionally, an Ansat modification with enlarged main fuel tanks will be available to customers in 2021. The capacity of the main fuel system will be increased by 20 percent, increasing flight range by 135 km. When the additional fuel tank is used in combination with the upgraded Ansat, the maximum flight range will exceed 84 miles.
In the future, Ansat will also be equipped with a winch and external sling. This modification is currently tested in the Kazan Helicopters testing facility. The winch increases the efficiency of the helicopter in search and rescue operations and allows to carry out loading and unloading operations while hovering. The device provides lifting and deploying of people and cargo with a total weight of up to 600 pounds.
The external sling is designed for transporting cargo with weight up to 2,205 pounds. The maximum take-off weight of Ansat with external sling will be increased to 8,598 pounds. The system comes with capability for cargo weight measurement and jettisoning.
Ansat is a light multipurpose twin-engine helicopter. Its serial production is deployed at Kazan Helicopter Plant. According to the helicopter certificate, its design allows quickly converting it into a cargo version or into a passenger rotorcraft that can lift up to eight people. In May 2015, the modification of the helicopter with a medical module was certified. Ansat is certified for use in the temperatures ranging between -49°F and +122°С, and in high mountains. In 2019, the Federal Air Transport Agency certified an increase in the airworthiness of Ansat’s fuselage to 16,000 flying hours.
Rosaviatsia certified electronic documentation for Ansat
At the international exhibition HeliRussia-2020, the Federal Air Transport Agency of Russia (Rosaviatsia) presented the Russian Helicopters holding of the State Corporation Rostec with approval of the main change in the Ansat helicopter type certificate. This document will enable operators to use all helicopter documentation electronically.
The approval of the main change in the standard design of the Ansat helicopter produced by the Kazan Helicopter Plant “Re-registration of operational documentation into an interactive electronic document” was issued by the Federal Air Transport Agency on September 11.
“This project has no analogues in Russia. The obtained approval will allow replacing the paper set of documentation with an interactive one. This step will significantly speed up changes to the Ansat's design, which is especially important in light of our plans to create a new generation of this helicopter. In addition, the electronic documentation will significantly simplify the maintenance and repair of Ansat helicopters, - noted Andrey Boginsky, General Director of the Russian Helicopters holding.
Also during the exhibition, the Federal Air Transport Agency handed over to the holding a type certificate for the Mi-171A2 helicopter, issued on September 3, 2020 by the Civil Aviation Department of the Republic of Korea. The issuance of the type certificate became possible thanks to the working agreement signed on September 25, 2019 between the Federal Air Transport Agency and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Republic of Korea in the field of certification and airworthiness. The Korean side highly appreciated the technical characteristics of the newest domestic multipurpose heavy-class helicopter Mi-171A2.
In addition, the Federal Air Transport Agency of Russia has issued an approval for the main change in the typical design of the Mi-38 helicopter “Main List of Minimum Equipment”. This document defines a list of equipment for the Mi-38, in the event of failure of which the safe continuation of the helicopter operation is possible. The use of the equipment will significantly increase the profitability and operational attractiveness of the aircraft while maintaining a high level of flight safety.
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Ansat in
Russian Helicopters 
