Russian Helicopters said this morning it will form the “National Helicopter Center” (NHC) by combining the Mil and Kamov design bureaus while retaining the individual brands. The move is aimed at reducing infrastructure, back office, administrative, labor, certification, and flight test costs while fostering increased technical cooperation between the now two separate design bureaus. Russian Helicopters said the latter should lead to improved managerial and production efficiency, enhanced design quality, and more rapid product development. NHC will be stood up by mid-2020 with continued integration between Mil and Kamov to run into 2022.
“Our common objective is to compete with foreign manufacturers, not with each other,” said Mikhail Korotkevich, deputy director general for helicopter development at Russian Helicopters, noting that there has been a “certain competitiveness between the companies” and that they were simultaneously developing similar types of rotorcraft. Korotkevich said that combining company functions into NHC should save 15-20 percent a year, resources that can be redeployed into the design of new helicopters.
- General Aviation