Salut to build helicopter engines

Russia’s Salut Scientific Industrial Center for Gas Turbines is planning to supply parts for Klimov VK-2500 helicopter engines. The company will build compressor rotors and stators, compressor brackets and main transmissions for this powerplant model.

The VK-2500 is an upgraded version of the TV3-117VMA gas-turbine engine, which was developed by Klimov Design Bureau in the 1970s. It powers Mil Mi-17, Mi-28 and Mi-35 helicopters, as well as Kamov Ka-32s and Ka-52s. 
At present, most of the VK-2500 engines powering Russian helicopters are supplied by the Ukrainian propulsion specialist Motor Sich. Under a Russian import substitution program, series production of the model is being gradually moved to Russia. The primary production facility for the VK-2500 will be situated at a new industrial site built by Klimov (a subsidiary of the United Engine Corporation) in St Petersburg’s Shuvalovo district under the St Petersburg Motors program. The main production shop was put into operation in December 2012, assembling and testing the first VK-2500 built entirely with Russian-made parts. The facility will become fully operational in 2014, and is expected to bring its output up to 500 powerplants per year by 2016.

The St Petersburg Motors backlog currently stands at 215 engines, including 65 TV3-117s and 150 VK-2500s.