Zimbabwe plans purchase of four police helicopters
The aircraft would be acquired as part of a raft of police vehicle purchases with a total value of US$60 million
Zimbabwe’s Finance and Economic Development Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube, outlined the planned acquisitions in a speech to parliament, in which he said that the government intended to improve conditions for police officers.
He stated: “We have sourced US$60 million for purposes of purchasing cars, as well as motorcycles for the police, including four helicopters.”
While Ncube has confirmed that ‘procurement is underway’ for the new police vehicles, no further details about what type of helicopter the government intends to acquire have been made public.
Elsewhere, a number of police helicopters have been purchased: In Poland, two more S-70i rotorcraft were ordered for the National Police this month, while in the US, the city of Atlanta has ordered two MD 530Fs for its own police force, as well as the upgrading of a third helicopter.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at the Voyageur Group. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.