OREANDA-NEWS. On 23 March 2009 was announced, that The Turkmenhowayollary state company has bought two Russian Mi-17-1B helicopters as well as spare parts and consumable materials for them. Russia's Tatarstan "Kazan helicopter plant" supplied the helicopters in line with a contract worth over USD  22 million.

The VIP-class versatile Mi-17-1B helicopters are famous for their high performance characteristics. The helicopters are designed for 14 passengers. The maximum flying range is 600 km. Two engines with the capacity of 2 thousand horse-powers each allow for a maximum speed of 250 km per hour. They can carry up to 4 tons of cargo. The modern helicopter instrumentation can perform various functions in virtually any meteorological conditions.

The multi-purpose Mi-17 is a modernized version of Mi-8 helicopter which has become the world most popular helicopter. As of today, over 11 thousand Mi-8/Mi-17 helicopters have been produced and supplied to 80 countries.