Pentagon has awarded MD Helicopters Inc. a maximum $44.2 million firm-fixed-price contract to develop and provide an armament package for the MD-530F helicopters that were already supplied to the Afghan Air Force.
Around 17 of the Afghan Air Force’s MD-530F helicpter will be upgraded under the contract which is expected to be completed by the end of September next year.
The delivery of MD-530F helicopters was awarded to MD Helicopters, Inc. in Mesa, in March 2011.
Afghan Air Force has already received 6 MD-530F helicopter and is expecting to receive up to 54 more helicopters under the 4 year contract.
MD-530F helicopters are designed for high altitude and/or hot weather operations, where thinner air costs helicopters some of their lift.
Afghan Air Force is also expecting to receive 20 A-29 Super Tucano light air support aircraft which will replace the Mi-35 attack helicopter that reaches the end of its service life in January 2016.
According to reports, the first of 20 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft arrived here Sept. 26, in preparation for the Afghanistan pilot and maintenance training mission.
The aircrafts will be used to train 30 Afghan pilots and 90 Afghan maintainers as part of a requirement from the International Security Assistance Force to conduct training outside of Afghanistan.
