Russian Helicopters Sets Unofficial High-Speed Helicopter Record
AHS International congratulates Russian Helicopters for its Mi-24LL PSV demonstrator, which has now established a new unofficial level flight speed record of “greater than 405 km/hr (219 kt).” [Source: Interfax, Oct. 29: http://www.interfax.ru/russia/534771, see below for automated translation]
This exceeds the official (and still officially unbroken) pure helicopter record of 400.87 km/hr (216 kts) set in 1986 by the British G-LYNX Westland Lynx helicopter. Like the G-LYNX with its British Experimental Rotor Programme (BERP) blades, the Mi-24LL PSV demonstrator uses very similar fore/aft swept blade tips.
Unconfirmed reports are that the high speed Russian flight(s) actually occurred more than a month ago in early October (or late September) and achieved 407 km/hr in steady level flight.
Automatic translation:
Helicopter developed in Russia exceeded the speed of 400 km per hour in tests
Mass production could begin within the new state armament program in 2018-2025.
Moscow. 29th of October. INTERFAX.RU – An experimental helicopter created in Russia, during a test reached cruising speed of 405 kilometers per hour, said the head of the 220th military representative of the Russian Federation Ministry of Defense, Colonel Eugene Poluyanov.
"The composite blades installed — the pride of the latest developments of the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant — have now allowed reaching speeds of over 405 kilometers per hour in test flights," said Poluyanov in a Russian radio news service on Saturday [Oct 28].
At the same time, he stressed that "this is actually the cruising speed, not the maximum speed" (which can be reached only for a limited amount do time during the flight — Interfax-AVN).
"And the prospects, of course, are there [for a record flight]," said Poluyanov.
operating, route speed, not the maximum speed that can be achieved for limited time, and there are prospects for the
According to him, the high-speed helicopter is "one of the ‘extreme’ breakthrough developments of the Moscow Helicopter Plant".
The project is based on the Mi-24, said the expert.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov on October 12 this year, told reporters that the mass production of the advanced high-speed helicopter being tested today can begin in the new state armament program in the years 2018-2025.
"Mass production — it is a question of the near future, the subject of the future of the state armaments program, which begins with us in 2018. These plans we want to sound out ‘Russian Helicopters’ and we wait for results from them," Borisov said.
According to him, there has long been going on a conversation with [Russian] Helicopters on the establishment of the line of a promising high-speed helicopter with a base load capacity of 10-12 tonnes and a cruising speed of 350-360 kilometers per hour, and the maximum speed — more than 400 kilometers per hour.
"Fortunately, there is already a certain technological advance; the flying laboratory has already reached speeds specified that gives us confidence that we will be in a reasonable time to expect the first experimental model, which will confirm all the technical specifications," said Borisov.
As the deputy head of the military department, the modernization potential of Russian helicopters, which are the base of Army Aviation, is now practically exhausted.
"We need a new quality, achieved by the new speeds, new tactics, use of army aviation in combat, development of attack aircraft,” concluded Borisov.
Posted Nov. 8, 2016