During the first week of this month, the Ministry of Defense of Portugal completed the shipment of Russian Kamov Ka-32 helicopters configured for firefighting to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. These helicopters had been committed in 2022 by the then Minister Helena Carreiras. The last transport truck departed on Friday, September 6, concluding a lengthy negotiation process to finalize the transfer of this batch of six helicopters; one of which is non-operational due to a serious accident.
Quoting statements from the official government communiqué: “After a long period of uncertainty and negotiations, the current government, through the MDN, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior, coordinated the transport of helicopters with the Ukrainian authorities, particularly with the Ukrainian Embassy in Lisbon and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.”
It is worth noting that the helicopters in question were acquired in 2006 by the Ministry of the Interior and had been awaiting extensive scheduled maintenance since 2018; this prevented their operational use in firefighting, a task that was partially taken over by the Portuguese Air Force. The Ukrainian Armed Forces were aware from the beginning of the conditions of the Ka-32s, leading to speculation that their transfer might contribute more to obtaining spare parts for the Ukrainian Navy’s Ka-27 Helix helicopters.
Finally, it is useful to note that Lisbon has already selected the platform that will replace the Ka-32s delivered to Ukraine, namely, the American UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters. The first two units, part of a planned fleet of six helicopters by 2026, are already in the hands of the 551st Squadron “The Panthers” of the Portuguese Air Force, having conducted their first operational flight in December of last year. Specifically, these aircraft have been prepared by Arista Aviation in the U.S. and have the capacity to carry up to 2,839 liters of water for their role in rural fire mitigation.
*Image credits: Ministry of Defense of Portugal
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