The National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine has announced on 3 August that Ukraine government is considering the possibility of purchasing domestic helicopters for military and civilian sectors. 

The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov believes that the use of the modern domestic helicopters for the needs of both the security and civilian sectors of the country is promising.

The NSDC released a statement saying that Oleksandr Turchynov paid a working visit to two Ukrainian enterprises-manufacturers of helicopters in Kyiv region to examine manufacturing facilities and the production process.

Mr. Turchynov noticed that Ukraine continues the tradition of our famous fellow countryman Igor Sikorsky, the new production of helicopters of different classes is being launched. Secretary of the NSDC of Ukraine reminded that the whole world is familiar with products of the powerful company “Motor Sich”, “but in recent years, six new enterprises for the production of lightweight helicopters have been established in the country”. “In the Kiev region only, we have visited two such enterprises today”, – he added.

According to Mr. Turchynov, young promising designers and engineers create lightweight multipurpose helicopters, “which can be used in the border troops, the State Emergency Service, to track and localize emergencies, for reconnaissance and tactical level combat missions in the Armed Forces, etc.”.

“But in addition to the security and defense sector, helicopter production is an auspicious direction for the civilian sector. Light helicopters, mobile and fast, can solve transportation issues, – he said. – So it is time to look at the helicopter as a regular and efficient vehicle”.

At the same time, Mr. Turchynov emphasized the unpreparedness of domestic infrastructure for the use of helicopters as vehicles, which “can be quickly changed if desired”. The NSDC Secretary added that many countries had chosen the path of developing helicopter infrastructure and easing the use of air, and their experience should be considered.

“In Ukraine, there are many problems with road construction, which are hard and slow to solve. But our sky meets the best European standards without any investment, and it does not need patch repair where one can steal money. That is why light helicopters can be in demand on the domestic market, and the price offered by Ukrainian producers is substantially lower than of the foreign analogs. An average company can already afford such helicopters”, – he summarized.