Helicopter ceremony cancelled

The Ministry announced that the ceremony that would be held at 18:00 at the “Mother Teresa” airport in Tirana was cancelled. Besides the Cougar, Tirana was also waiting the EC-145 helicopter, both produced based on an agreement with the French “Eurocopter”.

In the ceremony would be present Minister Imami and other military personalities.

The agreement signed in 2010 with “Eurocopter” predicted the purchase of five helicopters until 2017. The total value was around 79 million EUR, which was to pe baid until 2013. The agreement stated that two of the helicopters were for military purposes, two for medical purposes and one for VIP transportation.

Being in NATO, Albania must participate after 2018 in military missions with the two fighting helicopters. “Cougar” fulfills the troop transportation missions to war and search and search-and rescue missions. With the fall of one of the helicopters that had to come to Albania, it is unknown if the agreements will be respected on time.

Cougar, the super-helicopter

Considered as the longest and most robust helicopter, Cougar As 532 Al with two motors was produced in France. It is the most advanced model of the military Puma Aerospatial Helicopters. As 532 has been developed with the well known model EC 725.

Its price goes from 21 to 25 million USD. In 1990, all Super Puma helicopters changed from As 332 to As 532 Cougar, making the distinction from civil and military helicopters.

The helicopter can carry two pilots and 29 military troops, six stretchers and 10 other people. The military model can carry missiles, rockets and machine guns.

 This model can have the terrain observatory system “Horizon”. Albania had ordered five helicopters. The AS 532 model is being used by the Bulgarian and German air force for Parliamentary purposes and for transporting personalities.

A Cougar military helicopter, the destination of which was the Albanian army, crashed during the first flight test in the southeastern area of Provence, France, near the border with Italy. The news was reported by the French Radio Europa1.

The tragedy took place this Wednesday at 13:40, in the Verdon Gorge area. The Cougar helicopter belonged to the Eurocopter Company, part of the EADS aviation group.

Eurocopter announced in a press release that the Cougar Super Puma AS 532 A1 crashed and six people aboard were killed. They were  all employees and engineers of the company. The witnesses said that the helicopter touched an electric wire before falling near the river. The firefighters and a rescue time helicopter arrived right away at the scene.

The accident took place in a very difficult area that hampered the rescuing work.
 

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