BY SPUTNIK
Russia signed a contract with Eritrea for the supply of two Ansat military transport helicopters before the end of 2020, a source in the field of military and technical cooperation told Sputnik.
It is the first contract that Russia concluded with Eritrea after the UN Security Council lifted the sanctions imposed against the African country in 2018 for alleged support to Somalia armed groups.
“This country is no longer under sanctions. In 2019, a contract was signed with Eritrea on the delivery of two Ansat helicopters in a military modification to transport personnel. The deal is to be fulfilled in 2020,” the source said.
>> ALSO READ : Eritrea Interested to Buy Russia’s Missile, Boats, Helicopters, Small Arms
Last October, the deputy director of the Russian Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation, Anatoli Punchuk, told Sputnik that Eritrea would like to buy missile launchers, helicopters and firearms from Russia.
Ansat is a lightweight multipurpose helicopter which, according to its modification, can transport up to nine people.
Its maximum takeoff weight reaches 3.6 tons and the commercial load 1.3 tons.
The cruising speed is 260 km / h, and the maximum speed 275 km / h; the maximum flight distance with full fuel tanks reaches 520 kilometers.
The helicopter can work in a temperature range between –45 and 50 ºC.
