Thailand receives more Russian-built helicopters
Thailand now has ten Mi-17V-5 helicopters. (Russian Embassy in Thailand)
Russian Mi-17V-5 and American S-70i Black hawks are among the newest helicopters in Thai military service.
The Thai military has a hodgepodge of different helicopter platforms, and among the newest are three additional Mil Mi-17V-5 helicopters, bringing the Royal Thai Army’s (RTA) Russian-built fleet to ten such aircraft.
The delivery was announced on social media by the Russian Embassy in Thailand on 1 April. A formal handover ceremony took place at U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airbase on 26 March, with the Russian Ambassador E.Y Tomikhin present.
These aircraft were contracted in December 2017, and are operated by the army’s 41st Aviation Battalion based in Lopburi. They are typically used for disaster relief missions, including in floods,
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