US to buy 30 Russian-built helicopters for Afghan military

WASHINGTON - Reuters

Russian Mi-17’s will be used by Afghanistan’s Special Mission.

The Pentagon said June 17 that it would spend $572 million to buy 30 Russian-built military helicopters that will be used by Afghan security forces.

The Mi-17 helicopters will be used by Afghanistan’s National Security Forces Special Mission Wing, which supports counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics and special operations missions. The contract with Rosoboronexport, the Russian arms company, covers spare parts, test equipment and engineering support. The Pentagon said the work would be performed in Russia. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2014. A year ago, the Defense Department purchased a dozen of the Mi-17 aircraft from Rosoboronexport for $217.7 million, as part of a larger contract originating in 2011.