OREANDA-NEWS. Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Oboronprom, part of State Corporation Rostec and a leading global designer and manufacturer of helicopters, today opened the third International Russian Helicopters Operators Conference (IRHOC-2013), being held during the MAKS 2013 International Aviation & Space Salon.

The three-day conference runs through 28 August at the Radisson Royal Hotel in Moscow, and will discuss current issues regarding operating and maintaining the airworthiness of Russian helicopters, after-sales service and progress on the development of new helicopter technologies.

Around 200 representatives of operators of Russian-built helicopters fr om 40 countries including Brazil, India, China, South Africa and Pakistan will take part in the conference. More than 8,000 Russian-built helicopters are currently in operation around the world, and maintaining their airworthiness and providing after-sales support is a core priority for Russian Helicopters. IRHOC-2013 will help boost international dialogue between the producer and helicopter operators, address current issues and push forward the search for and introduction of new after-sales service solutions for Russian-built helicopters around the world.

During the event there will be a visit for participants to MAKS 2013, wh ere delegates will have the opportunity to see Russian Helicopters's current extensive model range. This year the Company will showcase its latest models prototypes including the new Mi-171A2 medium multirole helicopter. The Mi-171A2 has been developed in close collaboration with operators, and is in large part the result of the dialogue established at previous conferences.

Other helicopters that are expected to draw high levels of interest include the latest medium multirole Ka-62, the new Mi-38 transport and passenger helicopter, the Ka-226T medevac model, the Mi-28N Night Hunter and the reconnaissance and strike Ka-52 Alligator.