Story ID: 1VKAfghanMi-17s10302014
Russia Completes Mi-17 Shipments to Afghan Army
By: Vladimir Karnozov
Caption: Russian Helicopters completed deliveries of Mil Mi-17V5 helicopters to the Afghan Army in October.
Word Count: 265
Russian Helicopters completed deliveries of Mil Mi-17V5 helicopters to the Afghan Army in October. Sixty-three helicopters manufactured at the company’s Kazan Helicopters plant were delivered to Afghanistan after the the Russian arms sales agency Rosoboronexport and the U.S. Department of Defense signed a first contract in 2011, followed by later contracts.

While the Mi-17V5 program came under heavy political fire in the U.S. because of policy differences between the two countries in Syria and Russia’s intervention in Ukraine, the Pentagon insisted on maintaining the deliveries because the Afghan Army is accustomed to using Mi-17s, which are better suited than western models to Afghanistan’s climate.

“The Russian-made helicopters time and again proved themselves well in the climate and mountain landscape of Afghanistan,” Russian Helicopters stated in an announcement last week. “Deliveries of such hardware provide a good solution to the task of forming Afghan security forces and are part of joint efforts by Russia and U.S. in the war on international terrorism.”

On behalf of the Russian government, the Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation with Foreign Countries confirmed that Moscow is prepared to negotiate follow-on deliveries of Mil helicopters to the Afghan government and to provide after-sales support of earlier shipped equipment.

Alexander Fomin, who heads the federal service, estimated that Russia holds a 24-percent share of the international market for military helicopters. “Our helicopters enjoy a lasting demand in the very competitive market environment thanks to their high technologies,” he said. Russian Helicopters shipped 275 rotorcraft in 2013.