This year the great event called together more than 300 participants including the leading designers, manufacturers and operators of helicopter equipment. The participants in the forum discussed the problems and prospects for the industry development, and they also visited Kazan Helicopter Plant, in particular, attended the process of the Kazan Ansat helicopter production. The principal forum event was the plenary session entitled “The Helicopter Industry Economics: the Factor of Success”, which was opened by Andrei Silkin, Director General of ORPE Technologiya. The participants in the session discussed the cross-industry cooperation state, the helicopter fleet renewal potential, and other tasks meant to develop the helicopter industry and build the efficient branch economics.
“The helicopter industry is the same economic powerhouse for a country as cosmonautics or operational aircraft are. The manufacture of competitive machines involves the development of advanced materials and technologies as well as broad-scale cooperation. As the designer Mikhail Mil said, Russia is just perfect for the helicopter engineering, therefore the helicopters are to be domestically made,” noted Andrei Silkin, Director General of ORPE Technologiya, on opening the plenary session.
ORPE Technologiya is a part of the Russian Helicopter Industry Association, it releases 25 types of different-purpose products for the industry, such as interior panels, adhesive films, structural optics items. The scientists of the enterprise developed organo-organic electrically-heated triplex having the unique strength and weight characteristics for the helicopter Ka-62. Based on the experience gained in the production of optical polycarbonate complex-geometry items, the Obninsk enterprise is ready to set up the batch production of windshields and side windows for the entire range of domestic helicopters. Combination of light weight and strength of the new material together with the pilot’s further safety is to improve the helicopter efficiency.
