The Mi-171Sh military helicopters will receive a new radio navigation system or radio stations and the Defence Ministry will pay about 792 million crowns for the modernisation, Jakub Fajnor, from the Defence Ministry press department, told journalists. A total of 15 helicopters are to be upgraded by 2026, Fajnor said.
Defence Minister Lubomir Metnar (for ANO) informed the government about the deal today.
The contract was given to the state-run LOM Praha, which is in charge of other repairs of military helicopters, too.
Fajnor said all 15 machines would gain new transponders. Eight of them will also receive new radio stations and a new radio navigation system.
"The contract will be signed by the end of 2019 with presumed fulfilment by October 2026," he added.
Without the planned modernisation, the helicopters could not meet the military requirements. A part of the machines serve within the Special Operations Air Task Unit (SOATU).
The Mi-171Sh is a multipurpose two-engine machine manufactured in Russia. Its main purpose is to transport people.
