Kazan Ansat
Kazan Helicopters · Russia · first flew 1999 · helicopter
The Ansat is a light twin-turboshaft utility helicopter, notable as one of the first Russian rotorcraft to trial a fly-by-wire control system.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, rotary |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turboshaft, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 13.76 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Boxy glazed cabin with sliding doors
- Four-blade main rotor, tapered tail boom
- Fly-by-wire flight controls on early models
Spot the tall boxy cabin with large sliding doors, a four-blade main rotor, and a slim tapered tail boom carrying a conventional fin and tailplane.
Specifications
- The Kazan Ansat has a length of 13.76 m (45 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 11.5 m (38 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 275 km/h (171 mph).
- Typical crew: 1-2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Design began at Kazan in the 1990s and a prototype flew in 1999 using Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207 engines. Certification followed in the 2000s, with the fly-by-wire variant proving troublesome and a hydromechanical version reaching wider production.
Variants
The Ansat is offered in passenger, air-ambulance and utility fits, plus the Ansat-U military trainer for the Russian forces. Later civil versions gained a redesigned medevac interior.
Where you'll see it
Russian air ambulance networks and the military training establishment are the principal users. It has no UK service, competing internationally against Western light twins such as the AW109 and EC135.
Related aircraft
- Mil Mi-172
- Mil Mi-17V-5
- Airbus Helicopters H145
- Eurocopter EC 145
- Eurocopter EC130 B4
- AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant
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