Despite the conflict between Russia and Ukraine
Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced that the contract for 17 Russian-made Mil Mi-17 helicopters will not be cancelled
The helicopter procurement project is a multi-year procurement contract and the delivery of the first batch will be in 24 months
The Mil Mi-17 contract worth PHP 12.7 billion was signed last November and the prepayment was made last January
In 2019, the Philippine Air Force is said to have expressed an interest in purchasing 17 Mi-17 helicopters for its heavy-lift helicopter requirement
The helicopter is Mi-171 variant, a slightly modified version of Kazan's Mi-8MTV
The Mil Mi-17 (NATO reporting name: Hip) is a Soviet-designed Russian military helicopter family in production at two factories in Kazan and Ulan-Ude
It is known as the Mi-8M series in Russian service, and the Mi-17 is for export
The helicopter is mostly used as a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter, as well as an armed gunship version
The Mi-17 made its first flight in 1975. Mass production began in 1977
The helicopter has a length of 25.35 m, Main rotor diameter is 21.29 m, height is 4.76 m, maximum take-off weight is 13 tons
This helicopter has a crew of 3, including pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer
The difference between Mi-17 and Mi-8M is in the tail rotor
On the Mi-17 it was repositioned and is located on the left side, while the original Mi-8 a tail rotor is on the right side
The Mi-17 also has several other minor improvements, such as new rotor hub made of titanium alloy, different electric grid, and so on
Developed from the basic Mi-8 airframe, the Mi-17 was fitted with the larger Klimov TV3-117MT engines
rotors, and transmission developed for the Mi-14, along with fuselage improvements for heavier loads
The helicopter can reach a maximum speed of 250 km/h, a range of 495 km
The Mi-17 can carry 24 passengers and even small vehicles
It has a 4,000 kg internal payload capacity
Alternatively it can carry underslung loads weighting up to 3,000 kg
The older versions of the Mi-17 have two clamshell rear doors, however newer versions have a single ramp-type door
The Mi-17 can be armed with window-mounted 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm machine guns
There are dedicated armed versions of this helicopter, that can carry up to 1,500 kg of weapons externally
These include various anti-tank or air-to-air missiles, bombs, as well as pods with 57 mm and 80 mm unguided rockets
or even a nose-mounted 20 mm cannon
On improved versions, Mi-17 is equipped with a cockpit compatible with night vision goggles, forward-looking infra-red and laser rangefinder
In the Russian service these helicopters are often fitted with extra cockpit armor, IR jammers and flare dispensers
This transport helicopter widely exported both for military and civil operators
The Mi-8/Mi-17 is in service with more than 70 air arms around the world
In recent months, the Philippines signed several deals to modernize its aging military equipment
With the new Mi-17 helicopters, the Philippines will significantly increase the capacity of its helicopter fleet