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Monday, December 16, 2019

✈Bosnia and Herzegovina to purchase four US-made Bell Huey II helicopters

On Friday, December 13, 2019, the Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Marina Pendes, in Sarajevo, signed a contract for the purchase of four US-made Bell Huey II helicopters for the needs of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The contract on procurement of four helicopters military markings UH-1H-II has a total value of 38,539.378 US dollars, of which Bosnia and Herzegovina took part with a 4,360.000 dollars, or 7.5 million Bosnian Marks. The remaining amount was provided by the Government of the United States of America through funds from the US Foreign Friendly Sales (FMS) and Foreign Military Funds (FMF) friendly programs.

The UH-1H-II helicopter has been modernized, upgraded and maintained for a cheaper variant of the UH-1H Iroquois general purpose helicopter (also known as "Huey"), which is in the inventory of the Air Force and Air Defense Brigade of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. With this acquisition, the Brigade will be able to continue and better perform its mission of air transportation, medical evacuation, firefighting, search and rescue, as well as other tasks in completing the main missions of the Armed Forces.

The signing ceremony was held at the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina House in Sarajevo in the presence of top Ministry of Defense  and Armed Forces Bosnia and Herzegovina officials, the United States Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina and NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo

"The procurement of these helicopters represents the largest investment project since the establishment of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, both in terms of the amount of funding and the impact it will have on the operational capabilities and capabilities of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina," Defense Minister Marina Pendes said on the occasion. "This will give us more opportunities to be a solid support to all the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to contribute to regional cooperation projects and ultimately to strengthen our position as a reliable partner in international relations."

"The implementation of this project will provide Bosnia and Herzegovina  Air Force units with an adequate number of flight hours. In doing so, they will raise their training to a higher level and create a predisposition to fulfill their tasks even better and more readily in accordance with the Law on Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina, "said Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of  Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lieutenant General Senad Masovic.

As he pointed out, "in the process of rejuvenation of the pilot and aeronautical and technical personnel it will be easier to receive and adapt new members of the Air Force and air defense of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to ensure the replacement of the generations that awaits us in the coming period."
"This initiative is a joint project of the United States of America and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a success story worth investing in. They are an example of what the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina can achieve when they are together with a view to the future. They are proof that every fening invested in the Armed Forces is repeatedly paid and returned for the future of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, "said US Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Eric Nelson.

The procurement of new aircraft was contracted with the great support of the US Government on the principle of "Total Package Approach", which for the said sum implies complete transfer of capabilities and ensures: delivery of four Bell Huey II helicopters; retraining pilots and technicians at Bell Helicopter Textron Inc Training Centers, delivering spare parts and supplies for two years and 300 flight hours per year; delivery of helicopter maintenance tools and test equipment for maintenance level I and II; delivery of ground equipment for helicopter service and delivery of technical documentation for aeronautical maintenance level I and II.

Source: Ministry of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina

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