PDA

View Full Version : USD$175M Russian Helicopter - must be a wonderful machine


Cyclic Hotline
28th Apr 2017, 01:07
I hope it has gold-plated door handles at the very least!

CM?s new chopper to be tested soon (http://nation.com.pk/lahore/28-Apr-2017/cm-s-new-chopper-to-be-tested-soon)

LAHORE - The helicopter purchased by the Punjab government for the chief minister is expected to be operational early next week as over a dozen Russian engineers have been busy assembling the machine for the last nine days.

The cost of the chopper is said to be approximately US$143 million. However, if other expenditures are also included the total price may be up-to US$425m, official sources said, in the Finance Department. The expenses other than the machine cost include its transportation of the cargo plane, Russian team hoteling, stamp duty, training of Pakistani pilots and engineers in Russia etc. Punjab government spokesperson Malik Ahmad Khan was not available to confirm the cost.

The Punjab government has been using the federal government’s helicopter on rent for the use of Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The second badge of the engineers and pilots comprising seven personnel is due shortly to conduct the air testing of the rotary machine.

After testing the copter flight satisfactorily, it would be handed over to the Punjab government’s aviation wing that will be allowed to utilise it for the VVIP, rescue and other services.

Both of the assembling team and the testing engineers and pilots team will stay for two weeks and leave for Russia while the other group of engineers called warranty team will stay in Pakistan till completion of the warrantee period of the helicopter that is one year. Thus total 30 Russian people have been allowed to visit Pakistan.

Sources said, “The new chopper has a configurable cabin that allows several roles including VIP transport, passenger transport, cargo transport, air ambulance tasks, patrolling and remedial actions in emergency situations. It is also increased flight safety due to the installation of enhanced ground proximity warning module.”

Official sources in the Punjab government said that the government claimed the insurance money for the helicopter that was crashed in Afghanistan last year when it was on its way to Russia for overhauling purposes.

It is said that the Punjab government is likely to win the claim of Rs200 million for the crashed helicopter with the National Insurance Company Limited. That MI 17 rotary machine was also purchased from Russia in 2005 and its cost was about Rs200m at that time, said the sources.



This news was published in The Nation newspaper. Read complete newspaper of 28-Apr-2017 here.

TWT
28th Apr 2017, 02:17
Wonder how many 'middlemen' are involved in that deal ? :}

ecureilx
28th Apr 2017, 06:43
Wonder how many 'middlemen' are involved in that deal ? :}

Maybe NONE ? :D

It may have been a 'package' deal with complimentary items like 10 Volvo XC90, 10 BMW, 10 MB S320 and few more minor stuff included !

Heard of one such deal, where there was zero commission, but the middle-men were gifted a few cars and such !! All delivered in UK and elsewhere.

Ascend Charlie
28th Apr 2017, 08:48
Punjab government’s aviation wing that will be allowed to utilise it for the VVIP, rescue and other services.

I doubt that a VVIP would want to park his precious butt on a seat that has been used to carry lower-class people who had been bleeding, barfing or cr@pping while being rescued.

ozon
1st May 2017, 06:26
- A380-800 --- 428 mil. dollars
- A320 --- 97 mil.
Source: New Airbus aircraft list prices for 2015 | Airbus Press release (http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/new-airbus-aircraft-list-prices-for-2015/)

A helicopter cost 143 mil. and maybe up to US$425m ?! This should be a joke.

212man
1st May 2017, 15:06
The expenses other than the machine cost include its transportation of the cargo plane, Russian team hoteling, stamp duty, training of Pakistani pilots and engineers in Russia etc.

That's got to be some serious partying to rack up that bill!

san2dee
1st May 2017, 19:23
I think some currencies have been mixed up here! The old Mil was Rupees 200 million- that is like US $2 million. The new machine is then Rupees 425 Million at the max, making it US $4.5 million- that is closer to the mark for a new Mi-17.

Cyclic Hotline
1st May 2017, 19:36
The last brand new commercial Mil-17 I was offered was $11.5M USD, maybe 4-5 years ago. The machines the US Government purchased for Iraq and Afghanistan started at $16.4M USD, later rising to $18.2M USD per ship.

ozon
2nd May 2017, 07:43
The most expensive helicopters
====================
Airbus H155 --- $10 Million
Agustawestland Aw139 --- $12 Million
Sikorsky S 76c --- $12.95 Million
Agustawestland Aw609 --- $14 Million
Bell 525 Relentless --- $15 Million

John Eacott
2nd May 2017, 08:30
Seriously, hasn't anyone researched this 'fake-news'?

The Punjab Government was reported back on 3rd January to have decided to repair the damaged helicopter (from last year's crash): many more reputable news sources have articles on this. No other outlet has repeated the OP link from The Nation.

Utter tosh.

MikeNYC
2nd May 2017, 14:23
The most expensive helicopters
====================
Airbus H155 --- $10 Million
Agustawestland Aw139 --- $12 Million
Sikorsky S 76c --- $12.95 Million
Agustawestland Aw609 --- $14 Million
Bell 525 Relentless --- $15 Million

Is this a robo-post or did you actually try to compile a half-hearted list based on 30 seconds of Googling?

You're including an older generation machine (S76C) vs a newer one that is shipping (S76D), but listing two machines that aren't yet available for delivery (609 and 525).

How about including aircraft like the AW101 or S92 and adding some useful commentary besides a basic web search? Or you can continue posting rubbish.

Cyclic Hotline
2nd May 2017, 14:24
There are any number of bizarre and contradictory stories regarding this helicopter, including versions where it crashed (pictures on the net), then was burned by the Taliban and the crew taken hostage.

But as far as fake news. well possibly, but then again? https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/pakistans-punjab-province-orders-mi-171e-helicopte-435848/

Cyclic Hotline
24th May 2017, 16:04
Yet another incredible deal for $150M USD - but at least they got four ships for that price!

There were suggestions, they may not have been delivered by the supplier after payment or that they are missing.

The claim was corroborated by the Monitoring and Evaluation minister Dr. Akoto Osei who also claimed the helicopters were over-priced.

'No helicopter missing'- Kwabena Donkor tells gov't - MyJoyOnline.com (http://www.myjoyonline.com/politics/2017/May-24th/no-helicopter-missing-go-to-air-force-base-kwabena-donkor-tells-govt.php)