The Russian Helicopters holding company, part of State Corporation Rostec, and the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) have delivered technical and operational documentation for the Mil Mi-171A2 helicopter to the Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency. Brazilian aviation authorities will decide on the certification of the helicopter for the local market based on its application.

Mil Mi-171A2 (Picture source: Russian Helicopters)

In 2005, the Mi-171A1 helicopter optimized for the requirements of European commercial operators and the FAR-29 aviation regulations received approval for the Type Certificate in the Brazilian Aviation Register. During its development, special attention was paid to safety issues. In the same year, the first Mi-171A1 helicopter was delivered to Brazil.

The T-HUMS system (onboard monitoring and diagnostics system) was installed in the new Mi-171A1 helicopter for the first time on an order by the Brazilian company. It provides automatic monitoring of a large range of nodes in real time, significantly increasing flight safety. The use of the T-HUMS system also makes it possible to transition to maintenance “as-is,” and not according to the regulations, which can significantly reduce the financial costs of the operating company and increase the efficiency of the helicopter business.

Mi-171A1 helicopters were used by Atlas Taxi Aereo in harsh environmental conditions to support Petrobras drilling in the rainforests of Brazil. In a year of intensive operation, one helicopter, for example, flew more than 1,000 hours (an average of 120 hours per month), moving about 600 tons of cargo, mainly drilling equipment, on an external mount.

The Mi-171A2 was developed based on this helicopter, the result of a thorough modernization of the Mi-8/17 helicopters. More than 80 changes have been made to the design of the Mi-171A2. The helicopter is equipped with VK-2500PS-03 engines (a civilian version of the engines installed on the Mi-28 combat helicopters) with a digital control system. One of the most important differences between the Mi-171A2 and the helicopters of the Mi-8/17 family is the new carrier system. The helicopter has a more efficient X-shaped tail rotor and a new main rotor with integral composite blades with an improved aerodynamic layout. In August 2017, the helicopter received a Type A certificate from the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency, which indicates implementation of the most stringent safety requirements for civilian helicopters.