Glvac: Slovakia to Become Regional Leader in Black Hawk Training

Bratislava, March 2 (TASR) – The procurement of nine new multipurpose UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters is the largest modernisation project in the history of the Slovak Armed Forces, Defence Ministry communications department head Martin Cambalik told TASR on Wednesday.

According to Cambalik, the ministry bought the helicopters via US programme Foreign Military Sale, so this involved maximum transparency and a lower price.

The ministry stated that the Black Hawks comply with the technical and operational requirements of the Slovak Armed Forces and will gradually replace old Russian Mi-17 helicopters.

“It’s the most transparent process,” said Defence Minister Martin Glvac. According to him, the new choppers are fully compatible with the equipment of Slovakia’s allies. “They are one of the most modern models used within NATO,” he added,

According to Glvac, Slovakia will become a regional leader in the field of training and in maintaining these helicopters. “We have agreements that we’ll create a significant training centre with the helicopters’ manufacturer that will also be used by other countries. It shows that we didn’t just buy the helicopters themselves but a whole package of responsibilities,” said Glvac.

According to the ministry, the training centre will be located at an air base in Presov.