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The 54-year-old Austrian man on suspicion of spying for Russia to obtain sensitive material on helicopter technology. BERLIN, Sept 1 (Reuters) - German federal prosecutors have charged a 54-year-old Austrian man on suspicion of spying for Russia to obtain sensitive material on helicopter technology.

The prosecutors' office said in a statement on Wednesday it believed the man had worked for the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) between 1997 and 2002 and received at least $10,500 for passing on civilian and military secrets about helicopters.

"He was also supposed to put his SVR contact in touch with professionals in this field from German speaking countries," prosecutors said, adding that he had made contact between the SVR and two engineers from a German helicopter maker.

A spokesman for prosecutors said the man, who is due to be tried in Munich, could face a fine or a prison sentence of up to five years if found guilty of the charges. He declined to say which firms were involved in the case.

The man, identified as Harald Alois S., was not in custody because prosecutors did not believe he would try to flee, the spokesman added.

The charges follow the detention in the United States earlier this year of 12 people suspected of spying for Moscow, which led to a Cold War-style detainee swap with Russia in Vienna in July.