Helicopter Engine Support Facility to be Based in Vietnam
Klimov, part of Rostec’s United Engine Corporation, inked a distributor agreement with Vietnamese Helicopter Technical Service Company on 8 October, covering maintenance of TV3-117 and VK-2500 helicopter engines. A Centre for Integrated Logistics Support will be created in Vũng Tàu by the end of this year to support engines and main gearboxes in 12 Asian countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Australia, India, China, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. UEC-Klimov will repair power units, supply engines, components, assemblies and spare parts, and train the staff in maintenance of civil engines and VR-12/VR-252 main helicopter gearboxes.
“By developing the system of after-sales support of aircraft engines in Asia, we will be able to increase the attractiveness of our products for local customers. Our offer to the partners is not an individual product – it comprises the whole range of related maintenance services. We are ready to provide support of the power units throughout their life cycle. Such [an] approach will help reduce the duration of engine maintenance and repair and lower the machine operation costs,” noted the Industrial Director of Rostec’s Aviation Cluster, Anatoly Serdyukov.
The forthcoming support centre will include a facility for mid-life repair of civil helicopter engines, a warehouse of spare parts and assemblies, and a representative office of UEC-Klimov. The aviation authorities of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam are expected to certify the Centre in December 2018 after completion of pilot repair of one engine.
“The negotiations on the cooperation were held within UEC-Klimov’s 2018–2022 service development programme. As a result of these negotiations, our enterprise has entered a new market. We believe that we will become reliable partners, providing prompt and high-quality after-sales support and repair of power units operated not only in Vietnam, but across the entire Southeast Asia,” added UEC-Klimov CEO, Alexander Vayagin.
