Rostec reacted to the news that Russia will lose Ansat helicopters

Rostec State Corporation promptly denied information about the shutdown of Ansat helicopters.

Earlier, the Izvestia newspaper, citing sources in the aviation industry, reported that Russia may be left without Ansat helicopters, which are used for civilian transportation and medical evacuation, due to the expiration of the service life of foreign engines.

"The information that the Ansat helicopter fleet is in danger of being shut down does not correspond to reality. Machines of this type continue to be operated, maintained and perform tasks, including passenger transportation and sanitary evacuation of patients. There are no objective prerequisites for stopping Ansat flights," Rostec said in a statement on its telegram channel.

It draws attention to the fact that "the situation with the repair of foreign power plants is in many ways similar to the situation with Russian-French engines for the first generation of Superjet aircraft: their official service support is blocked due to sanctions, nevertheless, Russia copes with these difficulties and progressively creates conditions for their full-fledged maintenance.".

"It should be noted that recently there have been systemic attacks on the Russian aircraft industry. This activity is malicious in nature and is aimed at discrediting the domestic aviation industry, which is overcoming sanctions challenges. We perceive the information attack on the Ansat program as part of this campaign," the state corporation said in a statement.

According to Izvestia sources, the PW207K engines manufactured by Pratt & Whitney Canada installed on Ansat helicopters need to be repaired after 3 thousand flight hours, but allegedly not in There are no certified organizations in Russia or in "friendly" countries that could perform such work. At the same time, Pratt & Whitney Canada refuses to service Russian equipment due to sanctions.

"By 2029, 49 Ansat helicopters can stop flying, the Helicopter Industry Association (AVI) confirmed. As of July 2024, the total fleet of Ansat, Ansat-U and their modifications totaled 140 units, of which 88 helicopters were operated in civil aviation. According to the Federal Air Transport Agency on March 12, the operators of Ansats are: National Air Ambulance Service (NSSA) — 37 machines, Russian Helicopter Systems — 12, AK Barguzin — three, AK Parma — two, Kostroma Airline — two, TSC — two, Aviaservice — one, HeliEexpress - one. A source of Izvestia in the industry noted that this year four cars can be put on a joke, six in 2026, 11 more in 2027, three in 2028, and 25 helicopters in 2029,"Izvestia said.

Ansat is used by several Russian operators. For example, these helicopters make up half of the fleet of the National Air Ambulance Service (NSSA). Ansats are operated with high intensity and since 2018 have helped to save more than 42 thousand people in 54 regions of Russia.