The Soviet Union placed great store in its military helicopter capabilities and the end of communism led to its manufacturers emerging as powerful players in the global market, particularly in the ultra-heavy and medium/heavy categories.

Following the consolidation in 2007 of the country's two design houses - Mil and Kamov - and five assembly plants under the Russian Helicopters banner, the group returns to Paris to promote its extensive range of established and under development military and commercial rotorcraft.

The strategic priority for chief executive Dmitry Petrov is to boost Russian Helicopters' penetration of both the export and civil markets. Although the company claims to represent 14% of the global helicopter fleet - with more than 8,500 helicopters operated in over 100 countries - Russia represents half that share.

Kamov Ka-52

 Billypix

Its business has also been skewed towards the military, at 70% of sales. But Petrov believes that once a slew of new models becomes available during the next few years, the civil/defence split will even out. He believes its marketing efforts at Paris this week will be an important step towards achieving that target.

Those new aircraft, on show in prototype or mock-up form, include the Mi-38, an all-new medium transport helicopter; the 6.5t multirole Ka-62; and the Mi-171A2, the latest variant in the ubiquitous Mi-8/17 family.

Russian Helicopters will have some of its in-service models on show too, including the Ka-226, a light multirole coaxial helicopter pitched at the medevac market and designed to perform in adverse weather conditions and high altitudes. The aircraft will feature prominently at the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Also making its first appearance in 12 years at Paris will be the Ka-52, another coaxial type, which has been used as a scout helicopter by the Russian military since 1995.

Russia's helicopter types may lack the elegance and style of some of their Western rivals - only a mother could love the firefighting coaxial Ka-32A for its looks - but what they lack in terms of aesthetics they make up in terms of engineering ingenuity.

The country leads the world in many helicopter technologies. The 4t Ansat - due for certification in July in hydraulic flight control guise - was originally developed as a fly-by-wire helicopter. However, price and certification problems led to that version being put on hold. "Our opinion is that we were a bit ahead of our time," admits Petrov. "The market was not ready, but the future belongs to helicopters with fly-by-wire."

The Mi-38 is a new programme crucial to the group's fortunes on the export market, particularly in Europe. With a 15.6t take-off weight and designed to carry an external sling payload of 7t, the model will slot below the heavy-lifter Mi-26 in the product range. Powered by a Klimov TV7-117V engine and being built by Russian Helicopters' Kazan production plant, three prototypes have been produced and ground runs started in May.

Although the helicopter will appear at Paris, its public flying debut is likely to be at the MAKS air show in Moscow in August, ahead of first flight in July. "Everyone is anxious to see it fly at last," says Petrov. A fourth and final prototype is being assembled in close-to-production configuration - with a crashworthy fuel system and expanded windows - and Russian Helicopters is targeting a 2015 certification.

The aircraft, which will compete with AgustaWestland's AW101 and the Sikorsky S-92, fits several missions, from special mission and paratroop carrier to search and rescue and offshore transport.

A mock-up of the Kamov Ka-62 will be on show at Le Bourget, but again we may have to wait until MAKS to see the prototype proper, which is currently in final assembly. The 12- to 15-passenger transport, powered by French Turbomeca Ardiden 3G engines, is described by Petrov as the "first time in Russian history that a helicopter has been designed and built as a result of a huge international co-operation". He adds: "Doing it this way involved risks, but the programme should be a success and the best in its class." Two more prototypes are scheduled for this year, with flight testing beginning in October and certification slated for 2015.

The Mi-171A2 is the latest version of the venerable Mi-8/17, claimed to be the most widely operated helicopter ever. A prototype has been in flight testing since the end of 2012 and a second version will appear at MAKS. Petrov describes it as a "deep upgrade of the Mi-171" with updated avionics, gearbox and engine, as well as composite blades and an X-shaped tail rotor, which "improves the flight performance considerably".

The company expects to get approval for the variant - which it says is based on "feedback from operators and the extensive operating experience of these helicopters around the world" - in 2014.

A niche product which Russian Helicopters is also determined to push more widely is the coaxial Ka-32A11BC. Although it is in operation as a firefighter in Canada, South Korea and Brazil, among other countries, Petrov admits: "We have perhaps not promoted it to the best of our abilities." However, the model was showcased and certificated in Australia this year, where Petrov says "feedback has been good".

China is also a strong potential market for the model - which has the ability to precision hover over a blaze. The rapid growth of high-rise-dominated cities in the country has created a need for the authorities to be able to respond rapidly to fires in tall buildings.

Six years after its creation as the United Aircraft for the Russian rotorcraft sector, the Russian Helicopters name is becoming better known. However, Petrov says there is no danger of "extinguishing our design brands or those of our production facilities", some of which date from the birth of the Soviet helicopter industry. Instead, the Mil and Kamov designations will remain on the helicopters, while Russian Helicopters will be the "umbrella brand, like Finmeccanica or UTC", says Petrov.

Russian Helicopters was set up as a division of Oboronprom, which also controls the country's consolidated aero engine industry. Oboronprom, in turn, is part of Rostec, a state-controlled investment fund.

However, the company is keen to attract outside investment. Although an earlier attempt at an initial public offering was abandoned, Petrov says the company uses "all the financial tools, including loans and bond placements" to raise capital.

An IPO is "not necessary to move forward" he says, but the company continues to monitor the market. "Once they are ready to value us to our true worth, we will be ready for placement," says Petrov.

One of the biggest challenges to Russian Helicopters expanding its overseas footprint is its lack of a developed parts support and maintenance infrastructure outside the CIS. Petrov acknowledges this is a difficulty but the company is addressing it: "We have a programme of expanding aftersales."

The company has signed an agreement with Denel to provide support in South Africa and further deals could be in the offing at Paris. A service centre in Brazil is in the offing, and "we are looking at offers elsewhere in Latin America and Asia", he says. "Delivery of spare parts around the world is still a problem, but we are working on it. By 2015 you will see results."

Source: Flight Daily News