Army pushes for new chopper fleet

Gen Prayuth: Wants 36 new helicopters

Military says current aircraft are 30 years old

The army is pushing for the next government to buy more than 30 new helicopters to reinforce its dwindling and obsolete fleet following three horrific crashes this month. 

The planned acquisition is part of the army's programme to replace its Bell HU-1 "Huey" helicopters which have been in use for more than three decades.

The move came after three army helicopters crashed on the Thai-Burmese border in Phetchaburi in separate incidents.

One of the choppers, a Huey, went down in rugged mountainous terrain at Kaeng Krachan National Park on July 16. Five soldiers, who were on a mission to support a campaign against forest encroachment, were killed in the crash.

The other two choppers - a Black Hawk and a Bell 212 - went down in ensuing missions to airlift bodies of the killed victims from the forest on July 19 and 24, respectively, bringing the combined casualties in the three accidents to 17 dead and one injured.

Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha said he will propose the helicopter purchase plan to the new government when it takes office. The army has had a programme to replace the old Huey fleet but the Democrat-led government said it did not have the money to fund the purchase plan, Gen Prayuth said.

"We have travelled on these old helicopters since we were young. They have only been repaired when needed. Our country does not have a big [military] budget," he said.

(www.airliners.net)

An army source said the military's buying list under the plan included 36 new Bell 212 helicopters.

The purchase plan will be forwarded for government approval in the next fiscal year, starting on Oct 1.

Meanwhile, the 2nd Army's second tactical aviation unit in Nakhon Ratchasima has conducted a thorough check of its two Bell 212 helicopters which were grounded following the helicopter crash on Sunday.

Maj Chanawat Thongprasan, the first pilot of one of the two Bell helicopters, said the check results showed the helicopters were in good working condition and ready for use.

Flying missions will be suspended until the order to ground the aircraft was lifted, he said.

Second Army commander Lt Gen Thawatchai Samutsakhon said he now travels by car instead of flying even though it takes eight hours to reach Yasothon by road.

In Kanchanaburi, the army yesterday airlifted bodies of the nine Black Hawk crash victims to their home provinces for their families to perform religious ceremonies. A royally sponsored bathing ceremony was held for them on Monday.

Sgt Pattanaporn Tonchan, who was injured in the third helicopter crash and the only survivor from the three accidents, was recovering from back injuries, his doctors said.

Natural Resources and Environment Ministry permanent secretary Chote Trachoo said yesterday he had advised about 30 ministry officials who had taken part in the search and recovery operations for the three crashes in the forest to have their blood checked for possible parasitic infections.

Chaiwat Likhit-aksorn, head of the Kaeng Krachan National Park, had tested positive for a parasitic infection, the type of which had not yet been identified, after taking part in the operation, Mr Chote said. He said it was believed that the parasites had penetrated Mr Chaiwat's body through leech bites.

Tuesday, 117 army officers who took part in the search operations for the Huey and Black Hawk helicopter crash victims on the Thai-Burmese border over the past week arrived at Khao Phanoen Thung mountain on foot.

Bangkok Post