– Over $130M approved for maintenance, operationalisation of GDF’s Beechcraft, training of engineers

By Navendra Seoraj
AS part of strengthening the capacity of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to conduct aerial operations, the Government of Guyana has moved ahead with plans to purchase a Bell 412 helicopter and maintain and operationalise the King Air 350 Beechcraft.

Those initiatives were not catered for in the 2020 Budget, so the government approached the National Assembly on Monday for supplementary financing of more than $543 million, which was approved after intense scrutiny by opposition Members of Parliament.

Based on a breakdown of the supplementary funds, $412 million will be used to facilitate advance payments on the acquisition of a Bel 412 helicopter, but it was not stated whether it will be sourced from the U.S.
Either way, it is expected to supplement the GDF’s aerial capacity, as is also the case with the King 350 Beechcraft. Of the $543 million, $108 million will go towards the maintenance and operationalisation of the Beechcraft, while $23 million will be expended on overseas training for four GDF engineers.
Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance at the Office of the President, Dr. Ashni Singh told the Committee of Supply that the engineers, who were identified by the leadership of the GDF’s air corps, will be trained on material related to the maintenance and operation of the King 350 Beechcraft. There are also provisions for pilots.

In responding to questions from opposition parliamentarians, Dr. Singh said both initiatives are viewed as important to strengthening the operational capacity of the GDF for aerial activities.
When asked why the 2020 Budget did not cater for this, Dr. Singh said: “The budget for 2020 approved a number specific activities… in this specific instance, the bringing into operation of these aircraft were identified to be activities that were not anticipated at the time the budget was enacted, but were deemed critical for aerial capacity.”

It was reported that the U.S. State Department approved the possible foreign military sale of two Bell 412Epi and two Bell 429 helicopters to the Government of Guyana which will be used to conduct maritime surveillance and patrol, search and rescue, interdiction; counter narcotic trafficking and transnational criminal organisations.
The Bell 412Epi specifically has a range of 672km and is a modernised, four-bladed version of the UH-1 Huey utility helicopter. It is often used for police roles, as well as offshore oil rig worker and military troop transportation.

According to the Defence Security Cooperation Agency, the principal contractor will be Bell Helicopter Textron Incorporated (BHTI), Piney Flats, TN. The defence agency approved the sale with a future acquisition option of up to US$256M. The four light helicopters will have unspecified customer-unique modifications. The sales package also includes two WESCAM MX-10 cameras, mission equipment, contractor-provided pilot and maintainer training, ground support equipment and spares.