Russia and China plan to sign a contract on production of the Advanced Heavy Lifter (AHL) helicopter in May-June, a source in Russia’s defense-industrial sector told TASS.

"The Russian side plans to sign a contract in the first half of 2018," he said, adding that "the contract cost and payment procedure are currently finalized."

The Russian-Chinese AHL (Advanced Heavy Lift) helicopter is being co-developed by Russian corporation Russian Helicopters and Chinese corporation AVIC. According to the information released by the partners, the machine will have a maximum takeoff weight of 38.2 tons, a service ceiling of 5,700 m, a range of 630 km and a maximum speed of 300 km. The AHL’s lifting capacity will stand at 10 tons for internal cargo carriage and at 15 tons for underslung cargo.