Argentine Defence Minister Nilda Garré announced the purchase of two Russian Mil Mi-17V-5 medium transport helicopters on 5 March.
The aircraft will arrive in country during the first quarter of 2011.
The Mi-17s, purchased for around EUR20 million (USD27 million), will be operated by the Argentine Air Force in a search-and-rescue role as well as being deployed to Marambio, Argentina's main base in the Antarctic, for logistic support during mid-2010. The Mi-17 has the necessary range to fly the 1,240 km to Marambio from Ushuaia: the main Argentine town in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago.
Garré also announced the upgrading of three Argentine Army Eurocopter AS 332B Super Puma helicopters at a cost of USD4.7 million, the first of which will arrive in country in the second half of the year, as well as the purchase of five Bell 206 helicopters through the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme. The Bell 206s will be used to train helicopter pilots at the army base at Campo de Mayo.
Meanwhile, Garré announced that the construction of four Multipurpose Ocean Patrol (Patrullero Oceánico Multipropósito - POM) vessels would begin in August. They will be manufactured at the Argentine Naval Industrial Complex (Complejo Industrial Naval Argentino - CINAR), comprising the Tandanor and Admiral Segundo Storni shipyards, whose multi-annual budget of USD162 million to build the vessels has already been granted.
The POM is based on the design of Fassmer offshore patrol vessels, which has also been selected by the Chilean Navy. The design is 80.6 m long, displaces 1,850 tons and has a helicopter flight deck.
