In 1993, a Design Bureau was established at Kazan Helicopters. Its goal was to produce a light multi-purpose helicopter designated as Ansat which in the Tartar language stands for 'simple or plain'. Shortly before this, a number of companies within the Russian aviation industry were questioned in order to determine the requirements for such a helicopter. The survey obtained the necessary data revealing a need for a 3 MT helicopter. A decision was then taken to start designing a helicopter with a take-off weight of 3.3 MT that would meet FAR-29 airworthiness requirements. In February 1997 Kazan Helicopters received an official certificate from the Russian aviation authorities approving the company as an independed designer of civil helicopter types.