Leaders of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine have considered the version of basing and maintenance of helicopters of Airbus Helicopters company in the territory of the Special Aviation detachment of the Operational and Rescue Civil Protection Service of the State Service of Ukraine for Emergencies in the town of Nizhyn (Chernihiv region).
“During the meeting the issues of obtaining, possible basing and maintenance of Airbus Helicopters’ helicopters on the basis of the detachment, which will be supplied for the needs of the Interior Ministry in accordance with the Agreement signed between the government of Ukraine and the French supplier, as well as the establishment of a service center for servicing the aircraft of the Interior Ministry at the Nizhyn aerodrome. To do this, the working group took a flight by helicopter EC-145 and got acquainted with the existing infrastructure of the airfield,” the press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said on July 18.
The use of such helicopters as Airbus Helicopters-like for air-medical evacuation, rescue operations, maintaining public order, anti-terrorist and special operations, protecting the state border and ensuring road safety was also discussed.
As reported, on May 23, 2018, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov and French Minister for European and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian signed an agreement on the purchase of 55 helicopters produced by Airbus Helicopters for the needs of the Ukrainian Internal Affairs Ministry.
Ukraine expects to receive the first helicopters this year already. The Interior Ministry plans to receive helicopters of three models – Н145, Н125 and Н225. The French-produced helicopters will help operation of the State Service for Emergency Situations, the National Guard, the National Police and the State Border Service of Ukraine.
The main tasks of helicopter units of the Interior Ministry will be rescue and public order, criminal investigations, anti-terrorist and special missions, state border protection and road safety.
The amount of the transaction between France and Ukraine is 551 million euro. Ukraine will receive these funds through special borrowing at 4.25 percent per annum from the State Treasury of France and the consortium of French banks.
The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine stressed that the new helicopters would help solve the issue of sanitary aviation, they will evacuate people in the mountains, during fires and floods. In addition, special 10-tonnes helicopters will be used to extinguish fire.
On June 7, the Verkhovna Rada ratified the Agreement between the governments of Ukraine and France on official support in the creation of a unified system of aviation security and protection in Ukraine, within which 55 French helicopters will be purchased for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
