Russian Helicopters banners Latin America business

Russian Helicopters is touting its business in Latin America, which it calls one of the fastest growing helicopter markets in the world. The company, a subsidiary of Oboronprom, said it signed contracts in Latin America last year for 41 aircraft to be delivered over the next two years. "We have traditionally had strong positions across Latin America, and are continuing to work on strengthening them further," said Russian Helicopters Chief Executive Officer Alexander Mikheev. "2013 was a record-breaking year for us in terms of contracts signed, which represents fair reward for our hard work." There are about 440 Russian-made helicopters operating in Latin America, the company said. Russian-made aircraft comprise 42 percent of the region's military helicopter fleets and 77 percent of commercial helicopters weighing between 10 tons and 20 tons. Its most popular model with Latin American customers is the Mi-8/17 series, with more than 300 helicopters delivered. Latin American countries flying Russian-made military helicopters are Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru.