Mi-17
Posted on 03/13/2012 9:53:07 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Afghan helicopter deal to be ended if Russia continues to arm Assad's Syria
Washington, USA - Senators against this purchase due to Moscow's ambiguous policy
(WAPA) - Despite Russia sent humanitarian aids to Syria its role in the tragic situation the Country is living is still ambiguous.
In fact, 17 US' senators have sent a statement to Pentagon declaring the US' Department of Defense should drop a 900 million dollars contract to supply a Russian Mi-17 helicopter fleet to Afghanistan, since Moscow seems to be arming the regular Syrian Army, led by president Bashar al-Assad.
John Cornyn, US senator, also declared "I am concerned that the US Army is listed among the clients of Rosoboronexport (the Russian intermediary which operates the export of defence products, such as airplanes and helicopters). The United States has many alternative places to purchase helicopters, should we be rewarding Russia for its actions on Syria by buying their Mi-17s?".
The reply arrived by Irina Yarovaya, head of the State Duma's security and anti-corruption committee, who said "A number of senators have recently made statements that seem strange at best. Possibly this statement is one of them".
Must also remember the Mi-17, the most sold helicopter in the world, is already operating in Afghanistan since Soviet occupation. Many exemplars was used by Mujahideen after the Russian Army withdrawal and are currently capable to fly, since United Kingdom too started to train local pilots to use them. (Avionews)
(2013)
Mi-17
$900 million is a drop in the barrel the amount of sales it gets from its client countries such as: Iran,Syria,Vietnam,China,Venezuela and other Latin American countries.
Speaking strictly as a man who loves anything that flies, I have to say, that is a face only a mother could love. I mean, that is one ugly bird... but it’s a damn hard working bird.
Russians do build some nice stuff. I can see a lot of practical things in that design. Build them up any way you like them.
Like an air jeep. Cool birds!
Its getting a good workout in Syria.
It seems to be very popular helicopter in Peru. The Peruvian military has bought several batches of the helicopters
I’m sure this deal is really going to help our economy out. Maybe we should supply them with some ICBMs from North Korea and some Soviet tanks as well.
This deal is a waste of taxpayers money.
What are we, the United States, doing in buying Russian helicopters to give to Afghanistan?
It's hard to believe that Afghans admire Russian products more so than weapons from America.
Yeah, I know. Since it’s the hands down most sold design in the world, I’d expect there’d be a few. I was just admiring for his machine characteristics. A lot of them are air ambulances, transports, air-ferries all over the world.
There was talk in Tokyo a few years back, might have even been a study, on opening a passenger service along the coast from Tokyo Central to Osaka. It was supposed to service a number of island stops and just a few overland transits that was based on the idea of buying a bunch of off-shelf but new MI-17s and then refurbishing them into air buses.
Never got off the ground. But I’d loved it if it had just for the chance to ride one.
The reason why:
“The rush to equip the new military forces in these countries was used to justify sole-source procurements for a host of weapons and equipment, particularly for what is called “non-standard” equipment—in this case, Russian. Those countries, so the argument went, were more familiar with Russian equipment. Even in Afghanistan, a country which fought off a Soviet occupation in the 1980s, U.S. officials argued that the Northern Alliance and Afghan pilots were more familiar with Russian helicopters, which are regarded as rugged and reliable.”
This does not include:
•A non-competed $89 million contract awarded to General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems to buy three VIP Russian helicopters for Afghanistan’s president
•A $322 million sole-source deal to buy 22 helicopters for Iraq
•Most recently, another sole-source contract, which could be worth almost $900 million, to supply Russian helicopters for Afghanistan
There are problems from who the helicopters are being purchased from.”Rosoboronexport had only recently been removed from the list of companies sanctioned by the U.S. State Department for violating U.S. laws prohibiting the sale of weapons to Iran and Syria.”
The article points out that the Afghanis already have some Russian helicopters, so perhaps we should buy some spare parts. Then again, after we leave, what is to stop the Russians from trying to move in on the country and stop supplying anything they Afgh. govt. might need. I think I will send this to my Special Forces serving son who has supervised a fleet of Apaches and spent time in Afghanistan and Iraq and ask his opinion.
I would be looking forward to that response.
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