Belarus army to purchase 12 Mi-8s of new type

Belarusian army will purchase 12 of Mi-8 helicopters of a new type. This was announced by the commander of the Air Force and Air Defense of Belarus Major General Aleh Dzvihaliou. He said, BELTA reports, that Mi-8s MTV 5 have a higher combat capability compared with the machines used in the Belarusian army now.

The multipurpose helicopter Mi-8 MTV-5 is designed for the round the clock transfer of combat units and fire support from the air. It can carry 23mm guns or bombs of the total weight of up to 2 tons. The cruising speed is 230 km/h, and the range - 590 km. The machine is able to carry up to 4 tons of cargo in the cabin, and up to 5 tons on external sling.

Also, General Dzvihaliou said that after two weeks Belarus will sign an agreement for the purchase of four Yak-130s in addition to those already in operation. Earlier, in April 2015, the Belarusian army received four Yak-130s. By 2020 it is planned to completely replace L-39 aircraft with "yaks".

Photo: milrus.com