Argentina Receives Refurbished AgustaWestland AB206 Helicopters from Italy

The Argentine Ministry of Defense acquired 20 AugustaWestland AB 206 military helicopters purchased second from Italy.

They will be assigned to the Army Aviation Directorate as part of the military capabilities expansion and recovery process.

The helicopters were bought second-hand in 2013, and have gone through a service life extension program that has added 10 years to their operational life. These helicopters were previously operated by the Carabinieri, the Italian defense ministry’s police force.

Ambassador Tomas Ferrari received the helicopters from the Italian military authorities at the headquarters of Heliworld in the town of Anagni, about 70 kilometers from Rome.

According to Juan Gettig, director of the Argentine Army Aviation, these helicopters will be used for training and reconnaissance missions. Some of them will be fitted with GAU-17 miniguns and 70mm rockets once they arrive in Argentina.