In statements before the Commission II (National defense and Armed Forces) of the House of Representatives of Congress of the nation, the Colombian defense minister, Ivan Velasquezrevealed that the country is in talks with companies based in the United States and Mexico, in order to be able to advance the corresponding maintenance processes for its helicopters of the type Russian Helicopters Mi-17-1V, Mi-17MD, Mi-17-V5.
The Colombian decision is motivated by the temporary suspension of the last contract signed with the Russian company National Aviation Service Company S.A. (NASC)blocked in 2023 by the international banking system Swif and its inclusion in the Clinton Listwhich has made it impossible to execute the object of the contract.
Two maintenance contracts
In this sense, Velásquez commented that between 2021 and 2022 two contracts were signed with NASC, the first fulfilled and completed in September 2022, but the second interrupted – with 0% physical execution – due to the impossibility of advancing the activities for its implementation due to the prevailing sanctions.
Faced with this situation, the Russian company Rosoboronexport (company that originally provided maintenance services and that transferred them to NASC) proposed to the Colombian Government a new substitution of the contractor (change of name) or, failing that, modify the object of the contracts to avoid international control. These alternatives were categorically rejected by the Ministry of Defense, which also asked the Russian diplomatic representation in the country not to make statements that did not correspond to reality (false).
In this way, Colombia reaffirms its intention to preserve its fleet of Mi-17 due to medium transportation capacities, at costs well below those Lockheed Martin (Sikorsky) UH-60A/L. For this, it will resort to contacts with American and Mexican maintenance service providers with experience in this type of processes and given the considerable number of units that fly in America, deployed not only by the Armed Forces, but also by government and commercial operators.
19 units in inventory:
To date, the DAVAA has 19 units in inventory, of which eight (registrations EJC-3375, 3382, 3383, 3384, 3386, 3389, 3390 and 3397) are operational and available to fly 2,566 hours during 2024 (remembering the recent total loss of 3395), while another nine (license plates EJC-3379, 3387, 3388, 3391, 3392, 3394, 3396, 3398 and 3399) are in the process of conservation. Two others (EJC-3378 and 3385) are damaged but are part of the annual preservation plan, that is, they are also awaiting major spare parts for reconditioning.
It is worth remembering that from 1996 to 2009, Colombia acquired a total of 26 units (registered with numbers 3100 to 3400), through its 25th Aviation Brigade and through the Aviation Battalion Number 3 Cargo and Transport and that it constantly uses in real transportation missions, personnel liaison and Army resources throughout this nation.
