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http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #365 AUGUST 2018 // 19

Ten more Black Hawks delivered to

Colombian Police

Above: The offi cial handover ceremony for the ten additional Black Hawks donated to the PNC by the US. US Embassy

A FURTHER ten UH-60s

have entered Policía

Nacional de Colombia

(PNC, Colombian National

Police) service. Their

delivery was announced by

the US Embassy in Bogotá

on June 12, coinciding

with a ceremony at the

PNC headquarters.

The Black Hawks (precise

variant is unconfirmed) have

been donated by the US

government as part of its

ongoing commitment to

support counter-narcotics

operations in Colombia. The

PNC has previously taken

delivery of three S-70i Black

Hawks, ten ex-US Army

UH-60A variants, and eight

UH-60Ls, although two of the

latter have been lost through

attrition. Dave Allport

Uruguayan

Navy to

receive

three O-2s

from Chile

THREE O-2A Skymasters

previously operated by

the Chilean Aviación

Naval (Naval Aviation)

were due to be handed

over to the Aviación Naval

Uruguaya (Uruguayan

Naval Aviation) by the end

of July. These are the last

three surviving operational

examples with the Chilean

Navy and became

surplus to requirements

after the service

received seven Vulcanair

AP68T Observer 2s.

They were offered to

the Uruguayan Navy

in February last year

and formally accepted

in June that year,

subject to US approval

• see Uruguay receives
  Skymasters from Chile,
  September 2017, p21.
  Approval has now
  been granted, enabling
  delivery to go ahead.
  A Uruguayan Navy
  delegation will travel to
  Chile to formally accept
  the aircraft, which will be
  used for coastal patrol.
  In related news, the
  Aviación Naval Uruguaya
  is reportedly also looking
  at acquiring former
  Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana
  (FAE, Ecuadorian Air
  Force) T-34C-1s, which
  have now been retired
  (see Ecuador completes
  T-34C operations, July,
  p19). Dave Allport

El Salvador

to increase

MD500s on

MINUSMA

mission

EL SALVADOR is to

double the number of

MD500E Guardiancillo

light attack helicopters

deployed in support

of the United Nations

Multidimensional

Integrated Stabilization

Mission (MINUSMA) in

Mali. The Fuérza Aérea

Salvadoreña (FAS,

Salvadoran Air Force)

has had three MD500Es

in the country since May

2015, when they were first

deployed to Timbuktu

to support MINUSMA.

To fill the gap left by

the withdrawal of four

German Army Tiger

attack helicopters, the

FAS plans to boost its

MINUSMA commitment

to six MD500Es,

representing almost

all of its fleet, which is

believed to currently

comprise only seven

examples. In addition

to the three MD500Es

already operating in the

north of the country, a

second unit made up of

a further three MD500Es

was expected to deploy

in July, likely operating

from the MINUSMA

base in Gao, northeast

Mali. Dave Allport

New light aircraft for Bolivian Air Force

THE FUERZA Aérea

Boliviana (FAB, Bolivian Air

Force) received five new

aircraft during a ceremony

at the Colegio Militar del

Aviación (Military College

of Aviation) at Chimoré

Airport, Cochabamba,

on May 31. The new

arrivals consist of three

Cessna 210 Centurions, a

Beechcraft Baron 55 and

a Piper PA-34 Seneca. All

were seized from drug-

traffickers and will now be

used in various transport

and surveillance roles.

Juan Carlos Cicalesi

Above: A Beechcraft Baron 55 (foreground) and Cessna 210 Centurion, formerly used by drug

traffi ckers, have been impressed into Bolivian Air Force service. via Juan Carlos Cicalesi

Aviación Naval

Chilean Orion modernisation continues

Aviación Naval

A SECOND Chilean

Aviación Naval (Naval

Aviation) P-3ACH, serial

407, arrived in Canada

at the beginning of May

for modernisation. The

Orion will undergo an

extensive upgrade

programme performed by

IMP Aerospace & Defence.

The objective is to extend

the aircraft’s useful life to

more than 15,000 flight

hours, equivalent to 20

years of operational use.

The P-3ACH Orion III

programme introduces

Lockheed Martin’s

structural Mid-Life Upgrade

(MLU) modification as well

as wing replacement. The

project also includes the

design and installation of

a glass cockpit, upgraded

engines and a phased

depot maintenance

inspection package.

Previously, in January

2016, P-3ACH serial 404

flew to IMP in Halifax

for upgrade work. Juan

Carlos Cicalesi