Eight new Mi-8 MTV-5 transport combat helicopters have arrived to the squadron of the army aviation brigade of the Central Military District. 

Earlier the rotary-winged aircraft were commissioned by the Central Military District at the Kazan plant. The helicopters are deployed at the military airfield in the southern Urals, where their crews have started training flights.

The Mi-8 MTV-5 helicopter is designed for transporting troops and cargoes weighing up to 4 tons, as well as fire support of ground units both in the daytime and at night.

Pilots of the army and transport aviation of the district annually take part in the search and rescue support for the landing of manned spacecraft in the territory of Kazakhstan. Over the past 10 years, the military has participated in almost 60 operations, evacuating more than 200 cosmonauts.