The Air Rescue Company was established in the Russian Emergencies Ministry last December. During almost a month of its work it has proven its effectiveness with flying time totaling to over 100 hours.

Its planes have carried out two international flights delivering relief goods to Kirghizia and Tajikistan, task forces to Irkutsk Region and Buryatia where peat fires were detected and to Orenburg Region where snowdrifts occurred on motorways.

The Emergencies Ministry Air Rescue Company (ARC) was created to improve emergency response, special air SAR operations and to deliver forces and resources to disaster areas both in Russia and abroad faster.  

The ARC fleet has 9 planes: five Il-76 and two An-148, as well as two newly purchased airliners Sukhoi Superjet-100. At present their flight tests are about to be finished. It is planned that they are going to be put on full duty in late January after receiving an operation certificate.

In three years’ time, transport planes will have been substituted by new Il-76MD-90A.

At the moment, the ARC permanent location is being decided. It is going to be one of the Moscow airports.