On April 17, the French aircraft manufacturer Airbus signed a letter of intent to supply 34 helicopters to Uzbekistan. This was stated by Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Secretary of State to the Minister for European and Foreign Affairs of France, at a briefing in Tashkent, Gazeta.uz reported.
“This project has already been implemented for several years and we are thinking of continuing it,” the State Secretary said. “These are helicopters that help strengthen the sovereignty of Uzbekistan and also allow equipping services with transport, for example, for medical evacuation”.
According to Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, the helicopter model Écureuil (“Squirrel”) is adapted for operation in conditions of high mountains and hot climate. The machine, according to the manufacturer, is used for a wide range of tasks, including fire extinguishing, power line monitoring, cargo lifting, crop pollination, aerial video shooting, parachuting and geological prospecting.
The cost and delivery time of helicopters have not yet been announced, but Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne noted that the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov, with whom the French Secretary of State met on April 17, “expressed satisfaction with the discount applied”.
He also stated that the French manufacturer of information systems for the aviation industry Thales has signed a contract for the supply of simulators for training of pilots in Uzbekistan.
“That will be carried out as the Uzbek pilots should have practical experience and upgrade their skills to the highest level,” he specified.
In addition, during the briefing, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne said that with the support of France, a project to develop an integrated hydropower plant management strategy will be implemented at the Charvak hydroelectric station in the Tashkent region. This object was also visited by the Secretary of State as part of the visit.
“This will be the first project of this kind in Central Asia,” he said. “It will modernize the HPP to ensure its complex integrated management”.
The French Development Agency will take part in financing the project for modernization of the Charvak HPP. €13 million direct investment will be allocated into the Charvak HPP, at the same time, the sum of investments in the cascade of three hydropower plants in this complex will amount to €60 million.
