New Blackhawk helicopters for Slovakia in times of consolidation?

The Defence Ministry wants to purchase 12 older Blackhawk helicopters in preference to the same number of new Viper helicopters, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak announced on Tuesday.

Offers for their purchase were received from an American company that buys out-of-flight machines from the local army and modernises them. The head of the defence ministry claims that the purchase of these helicopters will be considerably cheaper, and Slovak soldiers had the decisive say in the selection.

In reaction to that, the opposition 'Slovakia' party is calling on Premier Robert Fico to put a stop to Kalinak's business deals and to start addressing the deteriorating security forces, health-care and education sectors, the party's spokesperson Matus Bystriansky announced on Tuesday.

"It is unthinkable that at a time when the fundamental components of the state are collapsing, Kalinak is buying unnecessary and, moreover, old helicopters for hundreds of millions of euros," said caucus chair Michal Sipos.

Source: TASR, Pravda