Ansat helicopters to transport patients with COVID-19 in isolation modules
Russian Helicopters holding company (part of Rostec State Corporation) obtained approval from the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) for installing isolation units in Ansat multipurpose helicopters to transport patients with COVID-19. The modules will be installed on helicopters in their medical version.
"Currently, about 30 Ansat helicopters have been supplied to regions for air medical services. To improve their performance during the pandemic, we have launched certification process, and obtained permission for installing isolation units for transporting patients. This does not require modification of an aircraft. Such equipment will provide more opportunities to use an aircraft for medical purposes," said Executive Director of Rostec Oleg Yevtushenko.
Ansat helicopters save people, being used for air medical services, and regularly making flights for medical evacuation day and night. The helicopters are used in the Moscow Region, the Nizhny Novgorod Region, the Kirov Region, the Kostroma Region, the Tver Region, the Chelyabinsk Region, the Belgorod Region, the Volgograd Region, the Astrakhan Region, in the Republic of Tatarstan, etc.
"All work necessary for obtaining approval from Russian aviation authorities has been carried out within a short period of time. Ansat helicopter was primarily equipped with a cabin for patients with infectious diseases to facilitate operation of the existing aircraft already used for air medical services – it will be possible to use those aircraft for combating COVID-19, and transport patients who could have highly dangerous infections and viruses," stated Director General of Russian Helicopters holding company Andrey Boginsky.
Ansat is a light multipurpose twin-engine helicopter, serial production of which is deployed at Kazan Helicopters. According to the helicopter certificate, its design allows converting it into a cargo version, or into a passenger rotorcraft that can lift up to seven people. In May 2015, a supplement to a type certificate for the modification of the helicopter with a medical module was obtained. Ansat is certified for use in the temperatures ranging between -45°С and +50°С, and in high mountains.
JSC “Russian Helicopters”, a part of Rostec State Corporation, is a leading player in the global helicopter industry, the sole Russian designer and manufacturer of helicopters. The Holding Company was established in 2007 and is headquartered in Moscow. We operate five helicopter assembly plants, two design bureaus, component production and maintenance enterprises, aircraft repair plants and one helicopter service company providing after-sales support in Russia and abroad. The customers of the Holding Company are the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Home Affairs, EMERCOM of Russia, and other state customers, Gazpromavia, UTair Aviation company, large Russian and foreign companies.
State Corporation Rostec is one of the largest industrial companies in Russia. It unites more than 800 scientific and industrial organizations in 60 regions of the country. Its key areas of activity are transport engineering, electronics, medical technology, chemistry and innovative materials. Rostec holdings form three clusters: electronics, weapons and aviation. The corporation’s portfolio includes such well-known brands as AvtoVAZ, KAMAZ, Kalashnikov, Russian Helicopters, Uralvagonzavod and others. Rostec is active in the implementation of all 12 national projects. The company is a key provider of Smart City technology, it is engaged in the digitalization of public administration, industry and social sectors, and it is developing plans for the development of 5G wireless technologies, an Industrial Internet of Things, big data and blockchain systems. Rostec partners with leading world manufacturers such as Boeing, Airbus, Daimler, Pirelli and Renault. The corporation’s products are delivered to more than 100 countries worldwide. Almost a third of the company's revenue comes from the export of high-tech products.