Russian Helicopters completes deliveries of Mi-17 helicopters to Afghanistan

Russian Helicopters completed deliveries of Mi-17V-5 military-transport helicopters to the Afghan Army in October. 

Since the contract between Rosoboronexport and the US Department of Defense was signed in 2011, 63 helicopters produced at Kazan Helicopters, part of Russian Helicopters, have been delivered to Afghanistan.

While the Mi-17V5 program came under heavy political fire in the United States because of policy differences between the two countries in Syria and Russia’s intervention in Ukraine, the Pentagon insisted on maintaining the deliveries because the Afghan Army is accustomed to using Mi-17s, which are better suited than western models to Afghanistan’s climate.

Rosoboronexport proved itself a reliable supplier of military helicopters, and in implementing the contract to supply Mi-17V-5 helicopters to Afghanistan was highly evaluated by its US partners. Mi-8/17 helicopters have shown that they perform well in Afghanistan, with its challenging climate and mountainous areas. The helicopters supplied assist with the successful formation of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), and are part of Russia-US cooperation in the fight against international terrorism.

The Russian side, the Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation (FSVTS Russia), confirms it is ready to discuss potential future supplies of Mi- type helicopters, and also to provide maintenance and after-sales servicing to Russian-made helicopters already in operation.

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