Although helicopters have been used in combat since the end of the 40s, notably during the Korean War during which they played a determining role for the first time in missions to evacuate wounded and recover ejected pilots, will have to wait until 1967 for an armed helicopter specially designed for attack missions to participate in an armed conflict. It was the American Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter of the US Army in the context of the Vietnam War. Since then, the attack helicopter has established itself as an indispensable tool in the inventory of modern armies, and the Mi-24 Hind, the AH-64 Apache and…
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US authorizes export of combat helicopters to the Philippines, despite tensions between the two countries
At the end of last week, the US State Department approved the sale of helicopters to the Philippines, as part of an FMS (Foreign Military Sales) procedure. As so often with FMS, this does not necessarily presume a future contract between the Philippine Air Force and American industry. Indeed, the FMS are often granted by the political authorities while the negotiations are not finished, which makes it possible to accelerate the sale and the delivery in the event that a firm sale is signed later. This administrative particularity explains why the FMS authorizations relate to two very distinct offers. One of them is about selling...
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