Framework delivery agreement signed for 12 Black Hawk multi-mission helicopters

Officials from Romania and Poland signed on Tuesday at the Romanian Interior Ministry (MAI) headquarters a framework agreement for the supply of 12 Black Hawk medium-heavy multi-mission helicopters designed for use in rescue missions by Romania's General Emergency Management Inspectorate (IGSU), agerpres reports.

The value of the contract is over 269 million euros, VAT excluded, and the aircraft is manufactured in Poland by the company PZL Mielec, where the Black Hawk helicopters of Sikorsky / Lockheed Martin are built for Europe.

"(...) the third bidder remained with high-performance helicopters with which negotiations continued and today we will sign the framework agreement. We are talking about Lockheed Martin, the factory in Poland, where the helicopters will be manufactured. We are talking about multi-role helicopters, which can carry out several categories of missions: search and rescue, including at sea; flying multiple victims in critical conditions, with each helicopter equipped with four stretches; personnel and supply transport missions, including cargo; extinguishing forest fires," said head of the Emergency Management Department (DSU) Raed Arafat.

The helicopters will be delivered at the end of 2023, and the training of pilots and technical staff will begin as soon as possible.

The signing ceremony was attended by Interior Minister Lucian Bode; charge d'affaires of the US Embassy in Bucharest David Muniz; a representative of the Polish Embassy, as well as officials of the PZL Mielec, Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin companies.

"These medium to heavy multi-mission helicopters that can serve in rescue missions both at sea and on land are an extremely valuable resource for Romania (...). This project materialised following a fully transparent open tender (...) The last two years of the pandemic have made us aware of the vital importance of some areas of business and the risks we are exposed to if we do not prepare public systems to deal with shocks in time, and I mean first of all, the healthcare system, the emergency management and response system and the public order system. I think I have learned a series of lessons of responsibility and solidarity this year, unfortunately very painful for the entire Romanian society," said Interior Minister Lucian Bode.