Russian Helicopters Holding Company's Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant is celebrating its eighty year anniversary. The only plant in Russia with competencies in the production of both aircraft and helicopters has built over 8,500 military and civilian machines in total over the course of its history. The company is celebrating with the launch of new projects.

“The modern competencies of the plant, including the ability to adapt for production of new products quickly and without loss of quality, are obtained thanks to the extensive model range throughout the history of the enterprise. We have simultaneously produced the MiG-15UTI and Ka-15, Ka-18, An-24 and Ka-25, MiG-27 and Mi-8,” says JSC U-UAP managing director Leonid Belykh. “We are currently working on five new projects. I am sure that the purposefulness and the engineering talent, the high-grade mastery and the enormous efficiency of our whole team will make it possible to bring them to completion.”

Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant is entering the ninth decade of its working biography with confidence in its future. To enter new market segments, the Mi-171 helicopter is undergoing constant development. U-UAP keeps offering new modifications and this is how the Mi-8AMTSh-V, its arctic version Mi-8AMTSh-VA and Mi-171A2 were introduced. Production of the Ka-226T helicopter has already been organised; the plans include the production of the Baikal light multi-purpose airplane to replace the legendary An-2 and production of the VRT-500 light helicopter.

As a part of the implementation of the air ambulance programme, the company is actively cooperating with the State Transport Leasing Company. U-UAP supplies Mi-8AMT helicopters that are already in operation in the Irkutsk region and Zabaykalsky Krai, in Khanty-Mansiysk, Naryan-Mar, Magadan, Vologda, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Tuva, Khakassia and other regions.

A key indicator of the enterprise's development is a large-scale programme for modernisation and technical re-equipment of the facilities and for the transition to digital technologies. More than nine billion rubles have been allocated for these purposes over the past seven years. Approximately 5,500 qualified specialists, production engineers and process engineers, designers and economists, production managers and workers are solving complex production tasks. The company provides opportunities for personal and professional growth; modernisation of production reduces manual labour and improves working conditions. The employees are offered an extended social package.

On the eve of its eighty-year anniversary, U-UAP is modernising its territory and buildings and preparing for the main festive events. A ceremony and awarding of the best workers will take place in the Rassvet community centre; the programme also includes an open day, a carnival procession of the plant's departments and a concert and entertainment show near the factory facilities. The factory workers, city dwellers and guests will enjoy a performance of Russian pop stars and the a flight programme at the airfield of Vostochny settlement.

The company is completing an investment project for the modernisation and development of its painting facilities. As part of this project, a new painting building equipped with modern technological equipment is being put into operation, equipped with painting and drying chambers with automated systems for process parameter maintenance and monitoring and filters for reducing hazardous atmospheric emissions.

After commissioning is finished and a statement of compliance is obtained to certify that the facility is in line with the technical regulations, U-UAP will begin putting the technology into use. Helicopter painting will begin this year.

“The new building, designed both for those products already produced at the enterprise and those planned for future production, will enable us to improve painting quality and working conditions and to reduce the production cycle by at least 15 per cent,” says Belykh. “In addition, it will increase the level of fire and environmental safety as per the modern requirements.”

The unique equipment design will allow the painting of Mi-8/171 type helicopters to be performed via two independent work flows; up to six helicopters can be processed at different stages of the cycle. If needed, large items can be painted (length up to 25 m, width up to 22 m, height up to 6.5 m, weight up to 22.5 tons). The ability to set and automatically maintain air exchange, temperature and humidity parameters allows consistently high coating quality to be obtained without follow-up fixes. Water recycling, air purification, emergency prevention and elimination, engineering automation systems will also help improve overall safety.

JSC Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant is one of the production enterprises of Russian Helicopters Holding Company. The production and technological potential of the plant enables quick organisation of manufacturing new aircraft types and combination of prototype creation with serial equipment production. The plant has built over 8,500 aircraft. Today, it specialises in production of Mi-8AMT (Mi-171E), Mi-171 and Mi-8AMTSh (Mi-171Sh) helicopters.