US-Russian Helicopter Deal Under Fire

The US government is under fire for allegedly misleading the Congress into buying Russian transport helicopters for US troops in Afghanistan.

The Pentagon ordered 63 Russian Mi-17 rotorcrafts worth $1 billion over the past two years.

According to the Associated Press, senior Pentagon officials have repeatedly assured members of Congress that the Department of Defense had made the right call, citing a top-secret 2010 study that named the Mi-17 as the superior choice.  

The report also states the Boeing Chinook was found to be “the most cost-effective single platform type fleet for the Afghan Air Force over a twenty-year” period.

The 2010 study "specifically analyzed the opportunity for DOD to provide a U.S. alternative to the Mi-17 for Afghanistan," the report said, adding the Boeing helicopter is larger than its Russian counterpart, carries up to a 26,000 pound payload, which is twice as much as the Mi-17, and can operate at nearly the same high altitude.

“Why are we buying Russian helicopters when there are American manufacturers that can meet that very same requirement?” US Senator John Cornyn of Texas was quoted as saying by AP.

The Pentagon denies that it misled the Congress.

A senior department official was quoted as saying in the report that the study was focused on long-term requirements and not the immediate needs of the Afghan military, which were best met by the Mi-17.

Also, U.S. commanders in Afghanistan wanted the Mi-17 because it is durable, easy-to-operate and the Afghan forces had experience flying it, according to the official, who was not authorized to be identified as the source of the information.

But last month, the Pentagon said it had scrapped plans to purchase additional helicopters from Rosoboronexport, a move it said was made after a re-evaluation of requirements for Afghan forces “in consultation with Congress.”