You're reading: Avakov: State Emergencies Service to receive first helicopters of French Airbus Helicopters by end of 2018

Three helicopters for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and one for the National Guard of Ukraine from the Airbus Helicopters company will be delivered within the framework of the Ukrainian-French contract before the end of 2018, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said.

On Tuesday, in the framework of a working visit to Chernihiv region, Avakov said that this year they will receive the first four helicopters from the French company Airbus Helicopters for the needs of the Interior Ministry. According to him, three of them will work in the divisions of the State Emergency Situations Service – a helicopter with the necessary equipment for air medical evacuation, rescue and fire prevention purposes. Another helicopter H-225 will arrive in the air division of the National Guard of Ukraine, the Liaison Department of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine said.

“Here, in Nizhyn, there will be a service facility for the Interior Ministry’s air security system. There will be helicopters for emergency services, border guards, national security guards and police, equipped with all kinds of special equipment, video surveillance systems, landing capabilities, etc. This is a new level of professional quality of our work. When something happens that needs concentration, all the helicopter forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be sent to one place … We are moving into the world of new technologies,” the minister said.

Four hangars will be built to service helicopters of Airbus Helicopters.

The State Emergency Situations Service expects that after the expansion of the helicopter fleet, rescuers will be able to carry out an enhanced service in the south of Ukraine and carry out search operations at sea.

The air staff for the new helicopters will be trained in France.

As reported, in July Ukraine and France signed a contract for the purchase of 55 helicopters of Airbus Helicopters for the Ukrainian system of state aviation security and protection.

The leaders of the Interior Ministry considered the version of the basing and maintenance of helicopters of Airbus Helicopters in the territory of a special aviation detachment of the operational and rescue civil protection service of the State Emergency Situations Service in the town of Nizhyn (Chernihiv region).