Breaking news
Lithuania takes delivery of its first AS365N3+ Dauphin search-and-rescue helicopter.
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World Aviation Defense & Security News - Lithuania
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| Lithuania takes delivery of its first AS365N3+ Dauphin search-and-rescue helicopter | |||||
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On June 2 the Airbus Helicopters AS365N3+ Dauphin, the new helicopter of the Lithuanian Air Force landed at Šiauliai Airbase. This is the first of the 3 search and rescue helicopters contracted for by the Lithuanian Armed Forces together with the Lithuanian Ministry of Environment from EU funds. Airbus Helicopters is planned to deliver and hand over the second and the third helicopters to the Lithuanian Armed Forces by the end of the year.
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 Lithuanian Air Force's new Airbus Helicopters AS365N3+ Dauphin SAR helicopter |
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“We are retiring dated Russian-manufactured helicopters and continue to fit up our armed forces with western equipment. It matters to us that our pilots will fly more up-to-date, new and more efficient aircraft," the Lithuanian Minister of National Defence Juozas Olekas says. The Minister also underscored that the first helicopter will also serve to fulfil Lithuania’s commitment to the nations completing the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission by ensuring search and rescue function.
As laid out in the arrangement of cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, the Lithuanian Armed Forces is committed to use no less than 75 flight hours for environmental observation and control annually. The AS365 Dauphin will complete environmental monitoring and control from the air tasks and search and rescue missions: search for people lost at sea, extinguish fires, transport patients or organs for transplantation, support state and municipal institutions in emergencies. The Lithuanian Armed Forces signed the procurement contract with Airbus Helicopters on three AS365N3+ Dauphins in October 2013. The total value of the contract t amounts to roughly EUR 52 m. The price includes purchasing price of the three helicopters, all related equipment, training of pilots and maintenance personnel, and three-year after-sales services. |
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Lithuania is not the first European Union member state that has used EU funding for purchasing helicopters. Earlier, Spain bought rotary-wing aircraft in the same manner. Also, many European countries practise buying dual use goods to save and to the end of an economical effect.
The new Airbus Helicopters AS365N3+ Dauphin will be capable of performing search and rescue tasks even in adverse weather conditions (strong wind, low or high temperatures, precipitation, etc.) in locations as far as roughly 200 km away from the duty station. It is equipped with several types of radio stations for ground, maritime and air communication and communication with coordination centres. The helicopter also has a weather-SAR radar, infrared radar (thermos visor), searchlight, and other SAR equipment. Autopilot of the helicopter helps ease crew workload and enable more focus on search and rescue tasks. The aircraft is also capable of table hovering in autopilot mode and has gust correction. The new Airbus Helicopters AS365N3+ Dauphin will replace the currently used Russian-made Mi-8 helicopters which will become outdated the coming year. |
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