Cyprus has agreed to buy six light attack helicopters from Airbus Helicopters, with an option to buy another six, as part of its effort to get rid of Soviet-era weapons and buy military hardware that is interoperable with other EU members.
Cyprus’s NICOSIA (AP) — Cyprus agreed to buy six light attack helicopters from Airbus Helicopters on Friday, with an option to buy an additional six helicopters as part of its effort to get rid of Soviet-era weapons and buy military hardware that is compatible with other EU members.
The contract for the H145M helicopters was signed without any mention of money. The helicopter can operate day or night, hit targets precisely with a lot of firepowers, and support ground operations by gathering intelligence, according to Cyprus’s Minister of Defense Charalambos Petrides.
By enhancing interoperability with regional states, Petrides added, “With the purchase of the new Airbus attack helicopters, we will also be able to enhance the existing framework of our various international and regional partnerships.”
Olivier Michalon, executive vice president of Airbus Helicopters, executed the agreement on the organization’s behalf.
When Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 after a coup intended to unite it with Greece, Cyprus became divided along ethnic lines. Only Turkey keeps more than 35,000 troops in the island’s northern third in response to a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence.
According to Charalambides, the presence of Turkish troops in the north prevents “complacency” in concerns of defense.
The minister declared that “the defense and national security of our homeland are non-negotiable.”
Due to their outdated avionics and high maintenance costs, 11 Soviet-era Mi-35 attack helicopters that Cyprus purchased more than 20 years ago are currently being sold. Serbia has indicated a desire to buy helicopters.
Separatist Turkish Cypriot authorities have referred to the helicopter purchase as a “provocation” that jeopardizes the peace in the region.
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