Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Oboronprom, part of State Corporation Rostec, congratulates the employees of Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (UUAP) on the significant occasion of the plant’s 75th anniversary.
“Today we celebrate the anniversary of a unique enterprise, the only plant in the country to have brilliantly mastered the production of both airplanes and helicopters. In 75 years of activity here, we have built more than 8,000 different aircraft,” Russian Helicopters CEO Alexander Mikheev said in his message to the plant’s staff.
“UUAP occupies a key position in the Russian helicopter industry. The company has continued to grow successfully: over the last five years, the number of helicopters produced has doubled, while sales of spare parts and services has more than quadrupled,” he added.
UUAP traces its history back to 1939, with the creation in Ulan-Ude of Aircraft Repair Plant No. 99, where IL-16 fighters and SB bombers were repaired. During the Second World War, the factory produced various models of fighter planes. 1956 marked a new page in the history of the enterprise: the era of helicopter manufacturing. The first models produced were coaxial helicopters developed by the Kamov design bureau: the Ka-15, Ka-18 and Ka-25. In 1970, UUAP began production of the Mi-8, the world’s most popular helicopter, designed by the Mil bureau. The now legendary Mi-8 is produced in a variety of different models and distributed to many countries around the world.
In the 1990s, the company began production of an upgraded version of the Mi-8 helicopter – the Mi-8AMT / Mi-171 – and later a military transport helicopter, the Mi-8AMTSh / Mi-171Sh. These helicopters are in service in a number of countries in South-East Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and the CIS. In total, UUAP has produced more than 4,000 Mi-8/17 helicopters in different versions for domestic customers and for export.
UUAP is a modern high-tech enterprise, which produces around 100 Mi-8/17 helicopters per year. The enterprise is actively upgrading its production capabilities and investing in social projects. UUAP employs more than 6,500 people.
Under its contract with the |Russian Defense Ministry, UUAP supplies Mi-8AMTSh military transport helicopters, and is preparing to produce an upgraded version. The plant also produces helicopters for export: In July 2014, the company completed delivery of a large batch of Mi-171E under a Rosoboronexport contract in China.
UUAP offers customers more than just helicopters. Operators can take refresher courses and pilots and technical personnel can receive more training at the plant’s Aviation Training Centre.
Today UUAP is involved in developing the helicopters of the future, including prototypes of the new medium multirole Mi-171A2, currently being tested. All subsequent modifications of Mi-8/17 helicopters will be built using the solutions incorporated in the design of the Mi-171A2.
