July 9 (SeeNews) - Serbia has received the first two of nine H145M helicopters under its deal with Airbus Helicopter, interior minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said.
The country expects to receive the third helicopter of the order by August and the fourth at the beginning of next year, Stefanovic said in a press release on Monday.
Stefanovic also said that the Serbian government has signed an agreement to buy three helicopters of Airbus Helicopters' civilian Super Puma family for transport purposes.
In December 2016, the government signed a contract with Airbus Helicopters for the supply of nine H145M aircraft. The deal includes the transfer of technology, spare parts, tools and documentation for the maintenance and repair of the helicopters.
Under the terms of the contract, Airbus Helicopters will certify Serbia's Moma Stanojlovic aeronautical plant as the maintenance centre of Gazelle helicopters and will include it in its overhaul network. Airbus will also support Serbian manufacturing plants and research and development institutions to obtain relevant qualifications and certificates, the government said back in December 2016.