Russia to Modify Mi-8 for Harsh Arctic Climate

Russia’s Ulan-Ude aircraft manufacturing plant said that it is developing a variant of the famed Mi-8 transport helicopter for use by the military in harsh Arctic climate.
helicopter’s heating system will be based on technologies used on spacecraft,” said Sergei Solomin, the plant’s chief engineer.

According to the Russian military, two Arctic brigades will be deployed in Russia’s extreme north over the next few years. Russia also plans to return to mothballed Soviet-era Arctic airfields and establish a permanent naval presence along the strategically important Northern Sea Route.
The Arctic, believed to have vast untapped natural resources, has increasingly been at the center of disputes between the United States, Russia, Canada, Norway and Denmark in recent years, as rising temperatures lead to a reduction in sea ice, opening up access to lucrative offshore oil and gas deposits.