Russia supplies 12 military-transport helicopters Mi-17V-5 to Afghanistan under contract with US

MOSCOW, April 29 (Itar-Tass) - Russia has supplied to Afghanistan 12 military-transport helicopters Mi-17V-5 under the contract with the United States on the supply of 30 helicopters of this type, a representative of the defence industry complex reported on Tuesday. At present, the Kazan Helicopter Plant that is the main performer of the contract on the supply to the U.S. Ground Forces of the Mil Mi-17V-5 aircraft, is making another batch of helicopters three of which are planned to be delivered in late May. “The 18 remaining aircraft will be made and delivered to the customer by the end of the current year,” the defence official told ARMS-Tass. To date, a total of 45 Russian Mi-17V-5 helicopters have been delivered to Afghanistan through the U.S. Ground Forces. The main contract on the supply of 21 helicopters had been signed by Russia’s arms exporter Rosoboronexport and the American government on May 26, 2011 and performed by the middle of 2012. Last year, Russia completed the supply of 12 Mi-17V-5 helicopters under an additional agreement, concluded with the U.S. government in 2012 under an option of the main contract. Also then, Rosoboronexport and the American side co-ordinated and signed a new major agreement on the supply in 2014 of an additional batch of 30 helicopters. A total of 63 Mi-17V-5 helicopters worth 1.333 billion U.S. dollars will be supplied to the Afghan army under agreements between the two countries within the framework of joint efforts to combat international terrorism. All the helicopters are equipped with night vision devices. The defence official said that representatives of the U.S. Department of Defence, controlling the fulfilment by the Russian side of the contract on the supply to Afghanistan of the final batch of 30 Mi-17V-5 helicopters, stress that “the Pentagon intends to prevent the imposition of any sanctions on Rosobornexport” in light of the recent developments in Ukraine. It is linked with the fact that U.S. Congress members are preparing additional measures to intensify pressure on Russia, including the imposition of sanctions on Rosoboronexport. Learn more on itar-tass.com