The Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant has intensified helicopter hermeticity checks after cases of water ingress into the fuselage during machine operation in tropical countries. Now, each helicopter undergoes a 40-minute pressure wash, simulating heavy rain, even before being handed over to the customer.
Before the test, technological openings are sealed, and the machine is positioned according to markings. Water is supplied to the cockpit and fuselage elements for 40 minutes, after which specialists inspect the body from the inside. Any detected moisture or leaks are eliminated by additional sealing, and after 24 hours, the helicopter is sent under the sprinkler system again.
The most vulnerable areas of the body are checked: the nose section of the fuselage, the cockpit, the upper access hatch for pilots, sliding doors, panels with portholes and emergency hatches, the fairing, and the tail boom. The enhanced procedure allows reproducing conditions that machines may encounter in regions with intense tropical precipitation.
For the plant, the test became a way to identify hermeticity problems already during production. If water appears inside the fuselage, the section is refined and the check is repeated, so the malfunction must be eliminated before operation begins.
Read more on the topic:
- Russian Ka-32s conquer the global market: 190 fire-fighting helicopters delivered to 20 countries
- 15 Mi-34M helicopters with an engine resource of 74 hours were planned for sale to the UAE
- Mi-38PS with a range of 1500 km shown in Kazan: the helicopter was designed for the Arctic