Hungary’s defence ministry has signed a contract with Russian Helicopters for large-scale maintenance work on the ministry’s four Mi-17 helicopters, the ministry told news agency MTI.

The Defence Ministry had called an open tender for the maintenance work. The contract, worth nearly 4 billion forints (EUR 12.75m), was signed on July 7. The maintenance will be carried out at Novosibirsk Aircraft Repair facility.. The contract is valid for 24 months altogether but the deadline for repair work for each helicopter was set at 10 months within their arrival at the base, the statement from the ministry said.

The Russian-made twin-turbine Mi-17 military transport helicopters are among the most popular helicopters in their class. They can be used in search and rescue operations, and can also be equipped with weapons. The helicopters are designed primarly for export since the 1970s and they are still used today in more than 60 countries worldwide.