Black Hawks handed over to Slovak Air Force

New Sikorski UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters were handed over to the Slovak Air Force by Defence Minister Peter Gajdoš at a military helicopter facility in Prešov on Thursday. The new American-made helicopters are set to replace the current Mi-17s, which are nearing the end of their service lifespans. Minister Gajdoš called the ceremony a watershed moment in terms of modernising the Slovak Air Force. He hopes that the modernisation of the military will continue among ground forces as well as in the Air Force. "We'll be pursuing the modernisation of the Slovak Armed Forces to make them compatible with our NATO coalition partners in terms of helicopters and ground forces," he said. The Defence Ministry is slated to purchase nine helicopters worth $261 million via the American government programme Foreign Military Sales.