Russian Mi-17 helicopters for Afghanistan
Defense Technology Inc. (DTI) announced today that its procurement plan for twenty-one new Mi-17 aircraft has been approved by the Russian Government. Under RFQ N00019-10-R-0032, the United States Navy is competitively purchasing twenty-one Russian, civil variant Mi-17 aircraft for Afghanistan. These medium lift helicopters are the primary support aircraft of the Afghan National Army Air Force (ANAAF).
DTI announced today that its proposed plan to supply twenty-one Mi-17 variant aircraft to Afghanistan has been endorsed by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Furthermore, the preliminary export approval has also been obtained.
According to the letter from the Russian government, the Ministry of Defense, Directorate of Defense Exports, has concurred with the planned acquisition method and stated that there were no impediments to exporting the civil variant aircraft to Afghanistan.
"This letter assures the US that the DTI acquisition plan complies with Russian law, and that the export license will be quickly obtained," said Byron Kreck, Program Manager of DTI's Afghan Aviation Support Group. "Under previous US Mi-17 contracts, 12 months or more was spent obtaining the required Russian licenses. This Russian Ministry of Defense pre-approval eliminates the Navy's risk and ensures that aircraft will be delivered in a timely manner."
DTI, with offices in the United States, Russia, Ukraine, Afghanistan and the UAE, is one of the premier suppliers of military and dual-use hardware from the Commonwealth of Independent States. DTI was the prime contractor in the 2009 US Navy program to procure four new Mi-17 helicopters for Afghanistan. DTI delivered the four aircraft within 46 days after contract award. The DTI Kabul team is also teaching the Afghans intermediate level Mi-17 maintenance and providing front-line Mi-17 maintenance mentors.
The competitive US Navy procurement for twenty-one Mi-17s, expected to be worth up to $370M, is planned for award in October 2010.
Source: DTI
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