U.S. DoD to gift four M28 aircraft to Nepal Army

Published On: March 4, 2019 10:05 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

Photo Courtesy: Agencies

KATHMANDU, March 4: The United States Department of Defense plans to gift four M28 Skytruck aircraft to the Nepal Army in order to strengthen the army’s humanitarian rescues and ferry services.

Yam Dhakal, spokesperson of Nepal Army said that the first two M28 Skytruck aircraft would arrive later this year. “These aircraft are extremely suitable in Nepal’s rugged terrains,” Dhakal said.

He added that at present, the Nepal Army had one M28 Sskytruck aircraft. The twin-engine aircraft is designed for easy reconfiguration between different types of missions and can operate in extreme conditions with high range and load on unprepared airstrips.

The United States Department of Defense has already contracted Polish aircraft manufacturer, Polskie Zaklady Lotnicze, also known as PZL Mielec, to supply two new M28 Skytruck aircraft to Nepal after a US$18.9 million Foreign Military Sales contract on March 1 between Nepal and the United States.

“This contract involves foreign military financing to Nepal,” according to Defence Blog, anonlinee military magazine.