The Cabinet has approved a multi-million dollar contract for the urgent overhaul of four MI-17 helicopters operated by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), at a cost of around US$4.5 million per helicopter.
According to the Sunday Times, a complete report pertaining to the MI-17 overhaul and service life extension tender will be submitted to the Cabinet next week.
The total cost of the overhaul and service life extension is estimated at US$18 million, while the budget also includes round-trip transport and insurance for the aircraft.
M/s Winsley Defence Group d.o.o. of Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose local agent is M/s Securatec Lanka (Pvt) Limited, has been awarded the tender after being identified as the lowest evaluated substantially responsive bidder.
The SLAF initiated the bidding process in 2023, but progress was delayed due to bureaucratic hurdles. Winsley Defence Group was ultimately selected following evaluation of the bids.
Emphasizing the urgency of the overhaul, a senior SLAF official said the helicopters are long overdue for maintenance and warned that further delays could impact local operations such as flood rescue missions, as well as UN deployments involving SLAF personnel. (Newswire)