MOSCOW, December 30. /TASS/. The Mi-34M1 light multirole helicopter with a domestically produced VK-650V engine completed its first test flight, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade said in a statement.
The ministry posted footage of the helicopter's flight on its Telegram channel.
The Rostec state corporation announced the start of flight tests for the helicopter with a domestically produced powerplant package. In addition to a new engine the aircraft received modern Russian-made onboard systems. The flight tested the Mi-34M1’s stability and controllability, and determined the loads on its main components in horizontal flight with turns.
"This is another major achievement for the domestic aircraft industry, proving that Russia is capable of building a wide variety of aircraft. The Mi-34M1 is highly maneuverable and easy to pilot and service. This aircraft’s primary purpose is passenger transportation, monitoring, flight training, and aviation sports," said Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov, as quoted in the statement.
The state corporation noted that the Mi-34M1 will fill a niche previously occupied only by foreign helicopter models, whose operation has become expensive and often unsafe due to unauthorized maintenance operations.