The Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Argentine Armed Forces signed a contract with the Bell company for the acquisition of six 407GXi helicopters. In this way, the American company beat Airbus Helicopters, which offered its H125 model, in a tender that lasted longer than expected.
Argentina will deliver three of these aircraft to the Army while the remaining half will go to the Air Force, in order to be used in mountain areas, replacing the SA-315B Lama systems.
The head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Lieutenant General Juan Martín Paleo, explained that this purchase “responds to the strategic planning that is carried out and will allow not only its use in specific operational activities in the mountains, but also for search, rescue and salvage (SAR) in the Andean area and support to the community through aerosanitary evacuations in the event of natural or man-made catastrophes”.
EXTENSIVE ANALYSIS
This project comes to fruition after 11 years. To replace the Lama, two models were initially analysed: the 407GXi and the H125. Although in the first half of the year the Argentine Air Force had decided on the Bell 407GXi, no progress was made with the purchase and they were asked to analyze new options.
Later, the HAL LUH Mk-1, of Indian origin, was added to the contest, to which Army Aviation and Air Force pilots had access during Defexpo, a fair held in Gujarat, India, last October. Finally, the Bell option was chosen again.
In an interview conducted by Infodefensa.com with the head of the Argentine Air Force, Brigadier General Xavier Julián Isaac, he assured that the Lama will remain operational.
“We are going to continue maintaining the Lama. They are helicopters that, even if they are replaced, will continue to fly, it is a reliable helicopter, and it cannot be replaced overnight, since it has not yet matured in operation. The The FAA has to operate in the mountains for a while to consider itself an expert in this type of helicopter before parting with the Lama,” he said.
With information from Infodefensa