Rostec Says Mi-34M1 Helicopter Prototype Flies With New VK-650V Domestic Engine

Russia’s state industrial group Rostec said Russian Helicopters has begun flight tests of a Mi-34M1 light helicopter prototype fitted with the VK-650V domestically produced turboshaft engine and that the aircraft has completed its first flight, according to Rostec on December 30. 

Rostec said it successfully conducted the test flight, during which engineers checked stability and controllability and measured loads on key assemblies in horizontal flight and turns.

Mi-34M1 is a modernisation of the Mi-34S family and is intended for passenger transport, monitoring, flight training, aviation sports, and private flights.

It includes Russian-made avionics, a crash-resistant fuel system, and a VR-34M main gearbox.

Rostec said the VK-650V is designed for light helicopters with a takeoff weight of up to 4 tons and has a digital FADEC-type control system, while added that the engine received type certification in December 2024 and is positioned as ready for serial production. 

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In terms of performance, the VK-650V is broadly comparable to Ukraine’s AI-450V, which is used on a number of modern light helicopters and UAV platforms.

Fitting the VK-650V would allow Russia to claim the Mi-34 is no longer dependent on Western or Ukrainian powerplants.

Rostec said certification testing remains ahead as the program moves toward organizing series production, the company expects the Mi-34M1 to occupy a segment that previously relied on foreign light helicopters that have become harder to support in Russia.

Earlier, it was reported that analysts estimated Russia’s Mi-8 output is sustained by two Rostec-linked plants and may reach at least several dozen helicopters per year despite wartime losses and sanctions.

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