The Hind helicopter upgrade program for the "Visegrad Four" nations has received a shot in the arm as the countries involved have begun sorting out funding and work-share agreements that have dogged the program since Poland introduced the idea as a cost-effective way to improve the attack helicopter fleets in Central and Eastern Europe.
Poland and partner countries Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic are planning a joint upgrade program for some 100 Soviet-designed Mil Mi-24 Hind helicopter gunships. Poland - which originally proposed the program and will fund the prototype development - is planning to upgrade 36 aircraft, Hungary about 27, the Czech Republic 24, and Slovakia 10-12. The upgrades will extend the service life of the helicopters as well as introducing fully NATO compatible avionics and Friend or Foe transponders.
However, the program has been dogged almost from the outset by licensing and funding problems. Almost as soon as the Polish proposal was put on the table, Russian officials objected because the Hind is a Russian-designed aircraft. Poland was able to negotiate a licensing deal with Russia to pursue the effort, but the program also faced funding problems. The Czech Republic's needs are the most pressing, but funding problems forced Prague to initially announce that it would participate, but could not pay for its share of the development costs until 2004-2005. This was despite a recognition that the Czech Mi-24 fleet would have to be grounded by 2005 for safety reasons if it did not receive immediate attention.
It now appears that the funding arrangements for the prototype development have been agreed upon, with each of the four nations making an equal contribution. The prototype will be built by WZL-1 in Poland. The upgrades for each national fleet will be performed locally, with work being done by LOM in Malesice, Czech Republic; by LOT in Trencin, Slovakia; and by WZL-1 in Poland. Hungary is still mulling two options, using either local company Danubian or WZL-1.
The program is now expected to proceed with a first flight for the prototype in the second half of 2004 and completion of all work by the end of 2005.
The four nations are also expected to shop the program for other potential partners in the region. Bulgaria has been invited to join NATO in 2004 and has reportedly shown strong interest in the program, but funding could slow entry. Croatia and Ukraine are also considered likely candidates. (9/03)
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