The Kazan Helicopter Plant of JSC Helicopters has received the approval from Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) to equip the Ansat helicopter with an external load system. The certification of the new feature allows the transportation of oversize load and the use of Ansat in firefighting.
Now the Ansat helicopter is able to airlift up to a ton of cargo on the external sling. It is worth mentioning that during the tests at the Kazan Helicopter Plant the helicopter ascended to a height of 3.7 km with 600 kg of cargo on board. The speed of the aircraft was 180 km/h. The maximum take-off weight of Ansat with the external sling has increased from 3,600 to 3,800 kg.
The specialists of the flight-testing complex of Kazan Helicopter Plant have also conducted a series of tests of the fire-extinguishing system of Ansat with a water discharge device. It is attached to the external sling and does not affect the design features of the helicopter.
"Our task is to make Ansat a multi-purpose helicopter capable of performing a wide range of tasks. The increasing number of available options, among other things, expands the search and rescue capability of Ansat, which is important for our customers. For example, in 2020 the first Ansat joined the air fleet of the Northwest Aviation Rescue Center and we expect new Ansat capabilities to form the basis for further cooperation with the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia," said Nikolay Kolesov, CEO of JSC Russian Helicopters.
Another new option approved for the Ansat is a searchlight, which can be used during search and rescue missions in combination with an onboard winch. The Ansat helicopter has also been approved for the installation of a special “heel” on the landing gear skids, the so-called "bear claws," which are used to land the aircraft on soft ground. In addition, as part of the contract for the supply of helicopters for the National Air Ambulance Service, the installation of domestic controlled LED search-landing headlights FSD-134M developed by the Research Institute of Micro Devices has been approved.
It is worth mentioning that in April 2021 the Kazan Helicopter Plant received the approval from Federal Air Transport Agency for the installation of a cargo jib with a winch on the Ansat helicopter. This option allows safely hoisting and lowering people and cargo up to 272 kg. The cargo jib is also essential for the search and rescue operations and allows performing loading and unloading operations in hover mode.
