Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland have signed a Heads of Agreement at the MAKS 2013 air show defining the the joint design and development programme for a new 2.5-tonne class single-engine helicopter. The agreement was signed by Daniele Romiti, CEO of AgustaWestland, and Russian Helicopters CEO Dmitry Petrov.

The preliminary assessment of the helicopter’s technical design and commercial opportunities is expected to be completed in the next few months. The programme, first announced by the partners in summer 2012, is intended to be shared on a 50/50 basis, with the new helicopter being designed for the worldwide market and a wide range of applications.

Dmitry Petrov, CEO of Russian Helicopters, said: “This agreement is a new step in the mutually beneficial cooperation between our companies. Russian Helicopters as a global rotorcraft market player is actively involved in international projects on manufacturing localisation and the development of new helicopter models. Our cooperation with AgustaWestland is moving forward successfully and has become one of our key priorities.”

Daniele Romiti, AgustaWestland CEO said: “This agreement with Russian Helicopters expands our successful partnership which started with the establishment of the joint venture HeliVert, for the local assembly of the best-selling AW139 model. We are delighted to be progressing to the next stage of this programme covering the design and development stages.”