Vietnam is interested in Russian transport helicopters.

A Vietnamese military delegation recently visited a helicopter manufacturing plant in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan (Russia), and expressed interest in transport helicopters such as the ANSAT, Mi-17V-5, and Mi-38.

According to a press release from the Russian Helicopters Group (part of the Rostec defense corporation) on April 17, a delegation from the Vietnamese Ministry of Defense visited a helicopter manufacturing plant in Kazan and discussed with the Russian side the supply of transport helicopters to Vietnam.

The Vietnamese delegation witnessed and participated in the test flights of two types of helicopters: the ANSAT civilian transport helicopter and the Mi-17V5 military helicopter, and visited the helicopter production and assembly facility.

According to Alexander Shcherbinin, Deputy Director of the Russian Helicopters Group, Vietnam is one of Russia's traditional partners and has extensive experience in using various types of aircraft. Over the past half-century, the former Soviet Union and Russia have supplied Vietnam with more than 50 types of helicopters, including the Mi-4, Mi-8, Mi-17, Mi-17-1V, Mi-171E, and Mi-172. Russian helicopters are used by Vietnam in the defense sector and in oil and gas service operations.

He also added that the Vietnamese delegation paid particular attention to the Mi-38 multi-purpose transport helicopter.

ANSAT civilian helicopter

According to the website of the Russian Helicopters Group, the ANSAT light transport helicopter has a maximum speed of 275 km/h, a range of 500 km, a service ceiling of 5,000 m, and can carry passengers (8 people) and cargo (1.2 tons), or be modified for search and rescue, medical evacuation, and national defense and security operations.

The Mi-17V5 military transport helicopter, part of the Mi-8/17 series, can carry up to 4 tons of cargo and a variety of weapons including rockets, machine guns, and 23 mm cannons, and can fly in all weather conditions. This helicopter has a maximum speed of 250 km/h, a maximum altitude of 6,000 m, and a range of 580 km, or 1,065 km with two auxiliary fuel tanks. The Mi-17V5 can carry 36 fully armed soldiers.

Iraqi Army Mi-17V5

The Mi-38, with its six main engine rotors, is a multi-purpose helicopter currently dubbed a "flying hospital" by Russia for rescue operations. The Mi-38 has a maximum speed of 285 km/h, a range of 420 km (cargo capacity of 5 tons) - 660 km (cargo capacity of 3 tons), or a maximum of 1,200 km (2.7 tons of cargo) with two auxiliary fuel tanks. Its service ceiling is 6,000 m. The crew consists of 1-3 people, and it can carry up to 30 passengers.

According to TNO