An initial production batch of the Mi-38T rotorcraft is being prepared for manufacturer and customer acceptance trials ahead of the planned delivery to the Russian Air and Space Force (VKS). Flight-testing is to start in the second quarter of this year, while the shipment is set for the fourth quarter, according to Russian Helicopters.
The baseline Mi-38 is a generation ahead of the Mi-8AMT/MTV family (export designation Mi-17) that forms the backbone of the VKS Army Aviation and has been widely exported to Moscow’s client states. The suffix “T” points at the transport version, which denotes the carriage of equipment rather than personnel.
“This version differs substantially from the already certified baseline Mi-38 in having all subassemblies and components designed and manufactured in Russia. Besides, this version comes with military-grade communications and additional fuel tanks for longer range,” Russian Helicopters said in a recent statement.
The manufacturer further states that the VKS is expected to commence operational trials of the Mi-38T at the end of this year. Russian Helicopters general director Andrei Boginsky told journalists, “As a rule, the military sets stricter requirements for the equipment they operate [than civilian operators]. Therefore, our expectation is that—based on the results of the operational trials with the Russian Armed Forces and their recommendations—we will better understand in which direction to go with further improvement of the new helicopter.”
Development of the Mi-38 commenced in the late 1980s as a 30-passenger civilian helicopter that would replace the long-serving 24-seat Mi-8, with an increase in cabin space from 812 to 1,060 cu ft (23 to 30 cu m). The payload capability was increased to five tons carried internally and six externally, compared with four and five tons for its predecessor.
First flown in 2003 with the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127H and Western instruments, the initial design was later reworked to use local engines and an IBKO-38 glass cockpit from Transas in St Petersburg. The more localized Mi-38-2 went on display in 2011 and commenced flying in 2013. It flew publicly for the first time at MAKS 2015, when Russian Helicopters and United Engine Corporation signed an agreement on series production of Klimov TV7-117V turboshaft engines for production helicopters.
The baseline civilian version won ARMAK type certification in December 2015, but deliveries to be made against the few commercial orders that had been announced at that point were subsequently postponed indefinitely. This was due to the maker’s decision to introduce additional changes to remove any remaining foreign components and technologies. Such an approach is the result of the stiffening sanctions regime from U.S. and European Union and the clearly expressed desire of the Mi-38’s intended customers to have an all-Russian product.
Having experienced a sharp decline in demand, Russian Helicopters talked the Russian defense ministry into becoming the launch customer for the Mi-38T, a military version with no foreign-made or -designed components and technologies. Among other things, this required the replacement of the Aerazur shock-resistant fuel system from France with a local substitute.
News reports regarding the start of Mi-38 series production appeared to be false or premature until January 2018, when the Kazan Helicopters plant finally began work.