The Irish Air Corps is to get six new helicopters over the next three years, at an overall cost of some €60 million.
The Minister for Defence, Mr O'Dea, today signed a contract for four Utility AB 139s, costing €49 million. Two of these will be delivered in 2006 and two in 2007.
The other two helicopters - Light Utility EC135s - will be delivered later this year: the contract for these machines has yet to be signed.
The four AB 139 helicopters are being purchased from the BellAgusta Aerospace Company (BAAC) in Italy while the two light utility helicopters are being acquired from Eurocopter SAS.
The AB 139s will be used by the Air Corps in a general purpose military operation and training role. Its uses will include training and operations with special forces, security, and aid to the civil power, military exercises, infantry inter-operability training and limited troop transport. They will also be used to perform air ambulance, inland search and rescue, aid to the civil community and VIP transport tasks.
The tender competition for the helicopters was advertised in the Official Journal of the European Communities on May 29th, 2004, according to a statement from the Department of Defence.
At the contract signing today, Mr O'Dea paid tribute to the work of the Air Corps and said the new helicopters will provide a "very significant boost".