At the HeliRussia-2025 aviation exhibition in Moscow, the light five-seat AP-55 helicopter, developed by Avia-Project, was shown. It is being assembled at the Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant (KEMZ). The machine attracts attention with its modern design and coaxial rotor system, characteristic of Kamov Design Bureau helicopters. However, a key question remains open — the helicopter uses a foreign Rolls-Royce Model 250 engine, which in the current environment casts doubt on the project's prospects for mass production.
The development of the AP-55 began in the late 2000s under the leadership of Boris Gubarev, a well-known designer who participated in the creation of the Ka-50 and Ka-226 helicopters. The first mock-up was presented in 2009, and by 2012 the working design documentation was prepared. However, the project then stalled for several years, until in 2020 KEMZ announced the start of assembly of a prototype.
In 2021, a mock-up of the helicopter was demonstrated at MAKS, but only now, in 2025, there have been reports of bench tests and plans for flight tests. At the same time, there is no official data on the timing of certification and the start of mass production.
The AP-55 is positioned as a light multi-purpose helicopter with a take-off weight of 1.36–1.55 tons, a cruising speed of 260 km/h and a range of up to 700 km. Its key advantage is its compactness (it can land on a 15×15 meter площадка) and modular design, which allows the creation of unmanned modifications.
However, the main limitation remains the Rolls-Royce Model 250 engine, the supply of which is now impossible. An analogue has already been developed in Russia – the VK-650V, which is used on the Mi-34M1 and Ansat-M. But adapting a new engine to the AP-55 will take time and additional testing. Despite the technological development, the future of the AP-55 depends on solving the problem with the power plant.
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