TEHRAN – Despite international sanctions limiting its access to aviation components, Iran’s domestic experts have successfully performed a full engine overhaul on a BK 117 helicopter. 

Hossein Pourfarzaneh, the head of Iran's civil aviation authority, announced this achievement on Monday, describing it as an unprecedented domestic feat resulting from years of intensive and complex effort.

According to Pourfarzaneh, this initiative was launched after nations housing the original helicopter manufacturers declined to cooperate and even seized engines Iran had sent for maintenance. He emphasized the critical economic importance of this self-sufficiency, stating that a local capacity to repair and produce engine spare parts is vital for the country's aviation sector, as engines constitute a major portion of an aircraft's value. His comments were reported by the official IRNA news agency.

The BK 117, a medium-sized, twin-engine helicopter primarily used for emergency medical services, is a collaborative product of Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Airbus Helicopters. The overhaul project was executed by the Iranian engineering firm MAPNA, which oversees numerous advanced national projects.

U.S. sanctions have prohibited Iran from acquiring foreign technology and parts, yet the country has sustained its aviation operations. It has even begun offering maintenance to international carriers; last year, reports indicated that Russia's Aeroflot sent a Western-made aircraft to Iran for repairs. Furthermore, by late 2024, Iranian aviation officials declared they had mastered the technology required to produce spare parts for Boeing and Airbus jet engines.