COLOMBIA TO ORDER 14 BLACK HAWKS

Sources in Colombia's Ministry of Defence told Jane's Defence Weekly
that it will order 14 Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk utility helicopters to
improve the mobility of its forces battling rebels and drug
traffickers.

The aircraft will be procured through a leasing arrangement to ease
the payment burden.

The sources said that the decision to purchase the Black Hawks has
been under consideration for at least two years, but the purchase was
put back due to budgetary constraints.

The army and the air force will each receive seven Black Hawks. The
first helicopter is expected to arrive about July, with deliveries
completed in 2001. Earlier this year the armed forces received five
Black Hawks ordered in 1999 to join the 25 already in service.

Brig Gen Garcia, commander of the army's recently formed 25th Aviation
Brigade, told JDW that the "versatility and manoeuvrability of the
Black Hawk is essential to satisfy the specific requirements demanded
by Colombian topography.

"It is the only helicopter available in which we can carry a
sufficient number of men at altitudes of over 8,000ft. Its operational
autonomy is also essential to comply with the distances that need to
be covered".

If the US Congress approves the Clinton administration's Plan Colombia
aid package, 30 Black Hawks will be supplied to Colombia over the next
two or three years. These are intended for use by anti-narcotics units
that will operate in southern Colombia and their deployment will be
subject to certain restrictions. The 14 new helicopters will be funded
from Colombia's defence budget and will be deployed in
counterinsurgency operations in other parts of the country.