SANTIAGO, Chile. April 1 (Interfax-AVN) - The first delivery of Mil Mi-171Sh helicopters to Peru will be made in late 2014. In all, 24 helicopters have been ordered, a member of the Russian delegation to the 18th FIDAE International Air and Space Fair, which ended in Santiago, Chile on Sunday, told reporters.
"A contract on the delivery of 24 Mil Mi-171Sh helicopters was signed in mid-December 2013. No shipments have been made as of now, because it takes from nine to ten months to build a helicopter. The deliveries may start by the end of this year," the delegation member said.
The helicopters will support anti-drug and counterterrorism operations in the valleys of Rivers Apurimac, Ene and Mantaro. A helicopter service center will open in Peru in 2016.
In addition, the sides are negotiating repairs and modernization of the Sukhoi Su-25 fleet of the Peruvian Air Force. Peru showed interest in Mil Mi-28NE helicopters demonstrated at FIDAE-2014.