SEVASTOPOL, August 06. /ITAR-TASS/. The Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday placed the first order for helicopter repairs in Sevastopol.

“This is not a large order but it will be followed by another two... the government is considering placing more contracts at the plant,” Sevastopol’s acting Governor Sergei Menyailo said, adding that the first order was estimated at 35 million roubles.

The Sevastopol plant will repair Black Sea Fleet helicopters which previously were repaired in other Russian regions.

“We will have to develop new forms of cooperation. In the past we worked with Ukrainian enterprises, directly with the manufacturers. But government defence contracts will require stricter regulation,” Alexei Tolmachev, director of the Sevastopol aviation plant, said.

The plant used to fulfill mainly foreign orders through a Ukrainian defence export agency. Now it will repair two Croatian helicopters and a Vietnamese one under direct contracts.