ZHUKOVSKY, Moscow region, July 18. /TASS/. Russian Defense Ministry is eyeing a purchase of fifteen Mi-38 helicopters before 2020, Deputy Minister Yuri Borisov told reporters on Tuesday on the sidelines of the MAKS 2017 international aerospace show.
"Our plans include a purchase of some fifteen Mi-38 helicopters before 2020," he said.
Executives at the Russian Helicopters (Vertolyoty Rossii) holding company said earlier the company and the Defense Ministry had signed an agreement for delivery of two helicopters of this family in 2018 and 2019.
The Mi-38 medium-lift helicopter occupies a niche between the Mi-8, which is the workhorse of Soviet and Russian airlifting aviation, both military and commercial, and the heavy-duty Mi-26. It has a capacity for airlifting people and cargoes and can also be used in search and rescue operations and in flights over the water surface.