Thailand received three multi-purpose Mi-17V5

Thailand won three multi-purpose Mi-17V5. At the airport Utapao helicopters were flown by An-124 Ruslan. Helicopters arrived unassembled and within 10 days of specialists promise to complete the assembly.
Ground troops sent to Thai Government's offer on the purchase of three Mi-17V-5 produced in Russia in November 2008. For the first time Russia has offered to Thailand to buy Mi-17 helicopters in 2005, but the decision was taken only in late 2008 due to rising costs of repair and modernization of the American Helicopter UH-1H ("Bell-212). Approximate cost of the contract for the purchase of Mi-17V-5 estimated 950 million baht (28 million dollars).
Mi-17V-5 is a modified version of the Mi-8. Maximum takeoff weight of the machine is 13 tons, length - 25 m Cruising speed - 230 km / h (maximum - 300 km / h). The machine can carry 36 troops or four tons of cargo in the cab and 4,5 m on the external load to its destination within a radius of 750 km. Mi-17V-5 helicopters best suited for working in high mountains with large temperature differences and in their high-altitude performance significantly superior to their foreign counterparts.
To date, the helicopters of this type are delivered and are successfully operating in 80 countries. Availability of spare parts for Mi-17 will operate them for a long time.