ZHUKOVSKY (RUSSIA), July 30 - Russia and India are holding negotiations for the supply of 48 Russian Mi-17 military transport helicopters, with Moscow hoping to seal the deal by the end of this year, a top Russian official has said.
Russian arms supplier Rosoboronexport�s CEO Alexander Mikheev said India has more than 300 helicopters belonging to the Mi-8 and Mi-17 family, which are deployed in troop and arms transport, fire support, convoy escort, patrol, and search-and-rescue (SAR) missions. He said India knows their specifications well.
Mikheev said Russia and India are holding talks with a view to signing a contract for 48 (Mi-17V-5) helicopters and the techno-commercial negotiations are set to commence in August. �We hope that we will reach an agreement before the end of this year,� he told a select group of journalists here on the sidelines of Russia�s premier air show MAKS 2017.
Last year, Russia had handed over to India the final batch of three Mi-17V-5 military transport helicopters under a previously signed contract with Rosoboronexport, a company of the Rostec State Corporation, that entailed a total of 151 units of the Mi-17V-5 helicopter, produced by the Kazan Helicopter Plant. � PTI
