The Russian state-owned company Vertolety Rossii has failed to sell the helicopters that Benin needs to strengthen its air force.

Military Africa reported on this.

The Russian state-owned company Vertolety Rossii encountered numerous difficulties when trying to supply Benin with two Mi-171E civilian transport helicopters. In the future, they were to be repurposed for military use.

The company was unable to obtain the necessary export licenses from the Russian government and faced delays in the component delivery from Western suppliers.

Refusal to sell the aircraft is also associated with the shutdown of the company’s production lines due to the war against Ukraine.

Russian Mi-171s are equipped with two TV3-117 gas turbine aero engines of the Ukrainian Motor Sich Joint Stock Company. The Russian companies had limited access to them after the start of the war with Russia in 2014. However, they still continued to be supplied to the aggressor country through detours.

In 2022, the SSU published evidence of cooperation between the leadership of Motor Sich and Russia. This led to the suspension of the engine supply to the Russian Federation, including the Vertolety Rossii company.

The collapse of the helicopter deal is a blow to Benin’s defense forces, which are fighting the armed terrorist groups of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. The new helicopters were supposed to aid the country in reconnaissance and search for terrorist camps.

Мi-171

The Mi-171 is a Soviet/Russian multi-role transport helicopter, which is a modern export modification of the Mi-8/Mi-17 with improved flight and operational characteristics.

The helicopter is designed to perform the delivery of manpower and transportation of cargo and materials inside the cargo cabin. It can also be used to evacuate the wounded, provide emergency medical care on board, and conduct search and rescue operations.

The helicopter has a crew of three and is capable of transporting up to 26 servicemen or up to 4,000 kilograms of payload.

The helicopter’s militarized version is capable of carrying a variety of missile and artillery weapons on the external suspension at four suspension points. The helicopter’s arsenal includes 80-mm S-8 unguided rockets and 122-mm S-13 anti-aircraft rockets, as well as Sturm-B and Ataka-B guided anti-tank missiles.