Airbus Helicopters to Supply Six Super Puma AS332 C1e Helicopters to the Plurinational State of Bolivia

The Bolivian Air Force (FAB) has selected the latest high-power version of the Super Puma to fight drug trafficking and perform public-security and disaster- relief missions throughout the country. The contract includes a logistics package that will support fleet sustainability in the coming years. The first two helicopters will be delivered this year and the remaining four before 2016.

The signing of the contract underscores the pledge Bolivian President Evo Morales made at a meeting with his French counterpart Francois Hollande in New York last September, while allowing the FAB to renew and strengthen its fleet with helicopters boasting the latest technology. The contract also includes a logistical support package that aims to provide the FAB with the resources and know-how it needs to ensure high fleet availability.

“We are very proud to provide our air force with latest-generation multi-role aircraft that will enable us to successfully carry out our ongoing missions and face the challenges of the future,” says General Victor Hugo Meneses Gomez, Air Chief Marshal of the Bolivian Air Force. The helicopters will mainly be used to combat drug trafficking and will also carry out public-security and disaster-relief missions throughout the country. General Meneses adds: “Bearing in mind the extreme operating conditions in Bolivia, the Super Puma was chosen mainly because of its versatility, safety and, above all else, its ability to operate at high altitude.”

“We would like to thank the Bolivian Air Force for renewing their confidence in our helicopters,” says Mesrob Karalekian, Airbus Helicopters’ vice-president of Sales and Customer Relations for Latin America. “The Super Puma is a powerful multi-role helicopter that is perfectly suited to the demands of operating in the region and which, thanks to its state-of-the-art onboard technology, allows missions to achieve more, all in complete safety.”