The Russian company Kazan Helicopters specializes in the production of Mi-17 military transport helicopters. The Mi-17 is an export variant of the Soviet Mil Mi-8, and was designed to carry troops, weapons, ammunition and other cargo. A new version of this helicopter called “Mi-171Sh” was introduced in 1995. It has a larger cabin than previous versions for transporting up to 30 passengers or 5 tons of cargo over 400 km (250 mi).