China Sells 15 Harbin Y-12E Aircraft to Russia

A Chinese aircraft manufacturer has closed a 450-550 million yuan deal to sell 15 Y-12E aircraft to Russia for transportation and geological exploration.

Harbin Aircraft Industry Group (HAIG), a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), announced Monday that it signed a contract with Russian company Fly AVIA FZE, which provides aviation equipment, repairs and after-sales services for the Russian market.

The aircraft will be delivered in 2017 and the contract is worth an estimated total of 450-550 million yuan, according to the statement.

The short-haul Y-12 series turboprop utility aircraft are mainly used for passenger/cargo transportation, parachuting, geological exploration, aerial photography, ocean surveillance, agriculture and forest uses, artificial rainfall and other general aviation activities. Its lifting capacity is about 1,800 kilograms (almost 4,000 pounds), and its maximum speed is about 280 miles per hour.

The Y-12E aircraft received the Validation of Type Certificate (VTC) from the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) at the underway MAKS 2015 airshow in August 2015, which gives the green light to operations of the model in Russia.

Currently, the aircraft has been granted certification in more than ten overseas countries including U.S., UK, France, Australia, New Zealand, Venezuela, Columbia, etc.

Besides, the light multi-purpose aircraft is the first Chinese domestic civilian aircraft awarded the Type Certificate by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Y-12 series own Y-12 (II), Y-12 (IV) and Y-12E aircraft, after gradual development and improvement.