Ukraine offers 55 helicopters from Airbus Helicopters



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New success to the east for Airbus Helicopters. After the sale of 20 H145 military helicopters to Hungary at the end of June, the manufacturer of Marignane signed a contract with the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior on 1965 for the sale of 55 civilian helicopters. The contract is estimated at 558.3 ​​million euros. This may comfort slightly the disappointments of the group in Poland and Romania.

These apparatus will be intended for the search and rescue (SAR), Public Missions and Emergency Medical Services (EMS). In detail, the Ukraine buys 21 second-hand H225 helicopters: 10 H145 (11 million euros per aircraft) and 24 H125 (nearly 5 million per aircraft). The contract also provides for the placing in of a local formation and for a center for maintenance (about $ 160 million out of the total amount).

French loans

Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said in late May on Twitter that "the use of the first four modern Super Puma helicopters will begin this year" certainly at the end of year. The project, presented as the most important contract in the history between the two countries, provides for the "establishment of a maintenance and training center in Ukraine" .

] Ukraine will finance this purchase by French loans: 45 million euros in the form of a direct state cash loan for a period of six years and 430 million euros in the form of a loan and for six years by a consortium of French banks under French Treasury guarantees. The Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior will pay the remaining 83.3 million euros (15% of the total cost).

Apparatus owned by French banks

Part of the machines supplied under this agreement are second-hand civilian H225 (more than 15 million euros per machine) held by French banks following the CHC operator's default on state-guaranteed financing. The State has, through Bpifrance Assurance Export, secured the financing of the acquisition of an Airbus helicopter package by a Canadian-American hirer, CHC Helicopters, which placed them with oil operators.

Following the crash of an H225 in the North Sea on April 29, 2016 in Norway (all H225 were grounded by the air safety authorities), this operator was the subject of a receivership in the United States. United States (Chapter 11) in May 2016 and defaulted on state-guaranteed funding. CHC's reorganization proceedings resulted in the US judge's surrender of the equipment to the secured banks represented by Parilease. As a result, a fleet of 21 H225 helicopters was economically owned by the state via the banks benefiting from the public guarantee. These devices have been very thin and some are practically new.

"Part of the equipment was previously owned by the state and the other part is new equipment" could be read in the press release May 29th of the Ministry of the Economy.

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