At the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense, the signing of the purchase and sale contract between the General Command of the Navy, through the Commander of the Naval Aviation, and the Italian company Leonardo S.P.A., for the acquisition of a used helicopter model AB412HP, with remaining flight hours equivalent to approximately 20 years of operation.
The incorporation of this new helicopter is of significant importance for the National Navy, as it will be added to the fleet of two other helicopters that are currently operational. It is an aircraft with a very low number of flight hours performed, to which new engines will be incorporated, which allows the acquisition price to be approximately 30% of the market value.
Helicopters are AB412HP aircraft specially equipped for search and rescue operations, but they also allow a wide variety of missions to be conducted, including the inspection of maritime, river and lake activities.
According to the electronic equipment that is planned to be incorporated (radar and electro-optical camera, for which the helicopter already has the necessary facilities, as well as a cockpit designed to operate with night vision glasses -NVG-), and taking into account their operational characteristics, these aircraft can be used in a wide variety of tasks.
Another aspect to highlight is that it is the same manufacturer, brand, and model as the helicopters that the National Navy already has, and that the supplier is currently the only one authorized and possessor of this type of aircraft for sale. This makes this operation an opportunity to incorporate a third helicopter like the existing ones, reducing maintenance, training, and logistics costs.
The event was attended by the Minister of National Defense, Sandra Lazo, and the Undersecretary of National Defense, Joel Rodríguez. In addition to the National Navy, Admiral José Luis Elizondo Chiesa, commander in chief of the National Navy, Captain Rodrigo Pazos Marghieri, in charge of the Office of the Fleet Command and Captain Nicolás Sanguinetti Estable, commander of the Naval Aviation, were present. Also accompanying the signing were Dr. Álvaro Colotta, General Director of the MDN Secretariat and the General Director of Financial Resources, Ec. Luis Lagaxio.