Sputnik - Iran�s Development and Renovation Organization (IDRO) and Russian Helicopters Company plan to team up to assemble light Russian helicopters in the Islamic Republic, IDRO�s deputy director Abolfazl Kiani Bakhtiari announced.




Mr. Bakhtiari said that apart from�the Russian Ka-226 and Ansat light multirole helicopters the Iranians would also assemble their own Saba-248 cargo and passenger rotorcraft. The Saba can also be used in�search-and-rescue missions, exploratory mapping, and also as�a �flying taxi.�

In an interview with�Sputnik Persian, military expert Mikhail Khodaryonok said that such cooperation would benefit both sides, especially Russia�s helicopter industry, which has recently suffered a drop in�orders.
�Russia�s helicopter-making industry will certainly stand to�gain� from�this, especially when it comes to�heavy-lift helicopters. This is a window of�opportunity that will help Russian Helicopters to�improve its financial situation. This would also be beneficial to�our industry as�a whole, above�all the fledgling production of�the Ansat helicopters,� Khodaryonok added.


When asked about�the impact the standing US sanctions could have on�this cooperation, Mikhail Khodaryonok noted that much depends on�the type of�engines these helicopters would be using.

�Some of�these [engines] could possibly fall under [the US] sanctions,� he said.

In December 2016, Iran's Minister of�Industry Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh said that Tehran is ready to�establish a joint venture to�assemble Russian helicopters in�the country, as�the country needs advanced Russian rotorcraft.

The Ansat, a multipurpose light twin-engine turbine helicopter, can be used to�carry goods and passengers, as�well as�used for�surveillance, search and rescue missions, and medical evacuation.

The Ka-226 light multirole helicopter has a maximum takeoff weight of�3.6 metric tons and is capable of�transferring a payload of�up to�one ton. The helicopter could be used for�passenger and cargo missions, medical evacuations and intensive care, and search and rescue operations.

The Saba-248, unveiled in�March, 2017 and designed and built by�Iran's Helicopter Renovation and Logistics Company, is a skid-equipped twin-engine, four-bladed utility helicopter meant for�use by�the Iranian armed forces for�troop and cargo transportation, battlefield liaison, casualty evacuation, search and rescue, and observation and reconnaissance.