http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/zpravy/czechs-british-present-chopper-overhauled-for-nato-needs/424348
Czech News Agency January 22, 2010 Czechs, British present chopper overhauled for NATO needs Prague: Czech deputy defence minister Jan Fulik and Ann Taylor, British Minister for International Defence and Security, on a visit to Prague, today presented a Mi-171S helicopter overhauled for the needs of NATO with the help of Britain. Britain provided certain parts within the chopper modernisation. The Czech military has had five its helicopters overhauled for tens of millions of euros altogether. They are to serve NATO which is short of transport helicopters, Fulik said. Three of them have already left for Afghanistan. The project was partly financed from NATO´s helicopter initiative fund. Fulik said the modernisation project will be a model for the initiative´s other members to follow. He named Hungary in this connection. The relevant orders for Mi chopper modernisation in former Soviet bloc countries has been sought by a consortium led by Czech state-owned Letecke opravny Malesice (LOM) aircraft repairer. Taylor today said Britain has provided a pilot to the Czech military to help it train Czech helicopter pilots. She said Britain will keep its advisory and training team in Vyskov, seat of the Czech Defence University in south Moravia, in spite of the budget troubles London has faced due to the economic crisis. The British team has operated in Vyskov since 2000. =========================== Stop NATO http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato Blog site: http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/ To subscribe, send an e-mail to: rwroz...@yahoo.com or stopnato-subscr...@yahoogroups.com Daily digest option available. ==============================
