GEC NEWS WIRETawazun Economic Council has announced the start of negotiations for the procurement of 200 VRT multipurpose civilian helicopters, which will be used across both government and private entities in Abu Dhabi. Tawazun Strategic Development Fund, the investment arm of Tawazun Economic Council, was created to enable the UAE’s strategic sectors through investments and focused developmental funding towards the private sector.
During Dubai Airshow 2019, Tawazun Strategic Development Fund, the investment arm of Tawazun Economic Council, announced that it is making a joint investment with Russian Helicopters worth $400 million to be injected into VR-Technologies. The deal will result in Tawazun owning a 50% stake of Russian Helicopter subsidiary, VRT.
VRT is a design house that offers competitive research and technical solutions in helicopter industry. It focuses on creating commercial and civilian single engine light helicopters. Its flagship product is the VRT500, a co-axial, civilian single engine light helicopter.
VRT also includes a smaller version of the VRT500, the VRT300, both of which are designed for urban environments. Due to their co-axial features, the helicopters are modular and will have the capability to safely land in confined areas. They are designed to focus on risk-free loading and unloading of passengers and effective medical evacuation duties with sliding doors at the back.
Commenting on the occasion, HE Tareq Abdul Rahim Al Hosani, Chief Executive Officer of Tawazun, said: “We believe in the capabilities of VRT’s product, including the multipurpose, single light engine helicopter featuring various design advantages in safety, performance and cost effectiveness, which drove the start of negotiations with UAE entities.”
He added, “Tawazun is expected to secure contracts for the first batch of 100 units by mid-2020, with an expected delivery date over the next 5-7 years. Additionally, this strategic deal will result in the transfer of capabilities and operations to UAE, as part of our commitment to enable the industry for future growth.”
HE Major General Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Commander-in-Chief of Abu Dhabi Police, said: “As long-term strategic partners, Tawazun Economic Council and Abu Dhabi Police have a mutual commitment towards safety and efficiency, with excellence at the core, in line with the leadership’s directives.”
“The addition of the VRT Helicopters to Abu Dhabi Police’s fleet will help us further elevate our competencies in the areas of search and rescue, ambulatory support, transportation and beyond. We look forward to advancing our capabilities even further with the addition of the unique set of solutions VRT has to offer, in line with global standards,” he added.
HE Major Staff Pilot Stephen Toumajan, General Manager National Risk & Rescue and Joint Aviation Commander said: “VRT Helicopters have a unique set of capabilities designed for use in urban environments and SAR, ISR, Medical Transport or VIP. We believe the advanced technologies of the single engine coaxial rotor system are perfectly suited for Abu Dhabi and worldwide deployments.”
Also commenting, HE Nader Al Hammadi, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Aviation, said: “VRT Helicopters are ideal for the wide range of services offered by ADA, including passenger support, crop spraying, aerial construction, seismic support, fire-fighting and other oil and gas operational activities. We look forward to working closely with Tawazun to finalise this collaboration and look forward to the forthcoming agreements and future utilisation of the VRT technology as a result of this partnership.”
