Firefighting: Portugal to send six Kamov firefighting helicopters to Ukraine

By Cristiano Antonino On Oct 19, 2022

Firefighting operations with helicopters: the Kamovs are currently unlicensed due to their Russian origin and are in need of repair

The announcement by Portuguese minister Helena Carreiras on the Kamovs donated to Ukraine

At the end of the meeting with NATO defence ministers in Brussels on 13 October, Helena Carreiras, the Portuguese Defence Minister, announced that the country will donate six Kamov fire-fighting helicopters to Ukraine for use in the war against Russia.

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Portugal is unable to use or maintain these aircraft due to the sanctions imposed on Russia, so they will be transferred to Ukraine in their current state: none of them have airworthiness certificates and therefore need repairs, and one is inoperable due to an accident.

The Kamov helicopters requested by Ukraine will be available thanks to Portugal

Carreiras stated that: “At Ukraine’s request and in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, we will make available to Ukraine our fleet of Kamov helicopters that, due to the current scenario, the sanctions imposed on Russia, we are no longer able to use.

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In fact, they do not have airworthiness certificates and we will not even be able to repair them’.

The condition of the helicopters is already known to the Ukrainians, and they will be “transferred as they are… as soon as possible,” Carreiras said.

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Helicopters are not the only aerial equipment sent to Ukraine: earlier this year Draganfly sent medical drones to the country.