Early in the morning on 8 September 2014, an unusually looking Ilyushin Il-96-300 long-range airliner, in Aeroflot livery but with a different air carrier name and registration number, took off from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and headed for Havana. Now, the airliner which has swapped Russian registration number RA-96008 for Cuban CU-T1717 shall be operated by the Cubana de Aviacion carrier as the fourth Il-96 in its aircraft fleet.

The Russian Helicopters holding company's subsidiary Rostvertol, which marked its 75th anniversary on 1 July this year, continues full-rate production of the world's most capable heavy-lift helicopters - the Mi-26 and Mi-26T/TC - and has launched manufacturing of the upgraded Mi-26T2.

The export of the Mil Mi-28NE Night Hunter advanced combat helicopter, which commenced in late summer this year, has been a landmark to the Russian Helicopters holding company and Rosoboronexport company. According to the Iraqi media, the first Mi-28NE batch was brought in country in late August 2014. The deliveries are under a package of contracts made by Rosoboronexport and Iraq in 2012. The first batch of Mil Mi-35M attack helicopters under this contracts was delivered in autumn 2013.

Late August 2014 saw the beginning of the flight tests of the first prototype of the heavily upgraded Mi-171A2 (OP-1) helicopter at the flight test facility in Tomilino, Moscow Region, operated by the Mil Helicopter Plant, a subsidiary of the Russian Helicopters holding company.

This summer, the Russian Air Force received the second Tupolev Tu-214ON aerial surveillance aircraft to be used under the Open Skies international programme.