The American company Sikorsky Aircraft has already begun producing multipurpose UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters for the Slovak military, the Slovak Defence Ministry announced on Sunday. According to defence minister Peter Gajdoš, the production and training of pilots and other personnel are on schedule. The new helicopters should replace the currently used Russian Mi-17 machines, which are approaching the end of their working lives. Slovakia will acquire nine Black Hawks worth a total of $261 million, with the first helicopters to be supplied as early as this year. The contract was signed under the previous defence minister Martin Glváč.
Zuzana Botíková, Photo: AP/TASR
