Ulan-Ude continues to develop Mi-8AMT(Sh) with air to surface missiles and the Su-25MT anti-tank aircraft

Published: 9/17/1999

The Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (UUAZ) has plans to complete tests on the twin turbine multipurpose helicopter, the Mi-8AMT (Sh), equipped with the Kolomna AT-9/9M/14 Shturm (Spiral) air to surface missiles. The helicopter, powered by Klimov Tv3-117 turboshaft engines, is still waiting to go into full production at the plant, after a planned start in 1998, which was delayed due to a shortage of funds. Leonid Belykh, Director General of UUAZ, sees the helicopter as having strong export potential equipped not only with the Shturms, but also the Igla-V air to air missiles. UUAZ produces, along with Kazan, the Mi-8/Mi-17 series in a wide variety of variants. It is capable of producing 30 helicopters a month, but produced a reported 30 Mi-8s last year. The plant also continues to produce the Su-25TM (export designation Su-39), an all weather attack/antitank aircraft, which, according to reports, was still being delivered in small numbers to the Russian and Georgian Air Forces at the end of 1998.The aircraft have recently been reported in action in strikes against rebels in Dagestan. The Su-25MT was first developed in 1996 to upgrade the Su-25 in the light of the experience of the Russian armed forces in Afganistan and the need to provide ground troops with a much higher level of long range close support particularly against armoured targets. The major changes to the aircraft are the improvement in target identification and the delivery of a wider range of air to surface and anti tank weapons in combat conditions. The aircraft has also been given a much more powerful radar allowing it to identify a range of potential threats as well as improving both range and ceiling.

Article ID: 872