Govt. defends acquisition of 4 Mi-17s through credit line

The government says additional Mi-17 transport helicopters are required to meet domestic requirements as well as the country’s commitment to the UN.

Authoritative sources said that the SLAF intended to acquire four more Mi-17s through a credit line offered by Russia.

Sources said so when The Island sought government response to Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa’s accusations that helicopters were being ordered at a time when the country is struggling to cope up with the growing threat posed by the Covid-19 epidemic.

Sri Lanka acquired Mi-17s in 1993. Sources said that out of 21 Mi-17 available with the SLAF only 10 were operational. They said that instead of overhauling the grounded aging Mi-17s, the SLAF felt the need to acquire four choppers to meet the existing requirements, especially for overseas commitments with the UN.

Of the 10 available Mi-17s, some have been deployed in South Sudan and Central African Republic under the UN command and the four choppers, too, were to be deployed on overseas UN missions.

The SLAF deployed units overseas under the UN command in 2014.

Sources said that the payments for the new helicopters could be made through funds received for their overseas deployment. At the moment of the ten available Mi-17s, six were deployed in South Sudan and Central African Republic.(SF)