Argentina purchases two refurbished Sea King helicopters

The Ministry of Defense of Argentina (MoD) has approved the purchase of two refurbished Sikorsky SH-3H Sea King medium helicopters for the navy. The units will be acquired from Carson Helicopters Inc, based in Pennsylvania, at a cost of USD12.8 million, according to a statement from the ministry.

The aircraft are to be utilised in Tierra del Fuego province, the country's islands in the South Atlantic, and Antarctica, and be headquartered in Comandante Espora Naval Air Base, Buenos Aires province. Although the Sea Kings are designed for anti-submarine warfare, the Argentine Navy said it plans to utilise them for support missions, including search-and-rescue operations.

The navy flies other versions of the Sea King that constitute the second naval air helicopter squadron (Segunda Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Helicópteros: EAH2). The MoD has not disclosed when the two Sea Kings are expected to arrive.

The deal with Carson includes training two pilots, eight maintenance personnel, and spare parts.