Procurement struggles and stretched resources hinder Guatemala
Lacking hefty procurement budgets, small Central American countries are struggling to fulfil their defence equipment acquisition ambitions – and the situation is only likely to worsen once the ramifications of COVID-19 become clearer.
Guatemala, for example, has unsuccessfully attempted to repair and upgrade two of its nine Bell UH-1H Iroquois helicopters and one Beechcraft Super King Air 200 ISR aircraft.
A recent attempt to modernise the Hueys was scrapped because the offer made by the sole bidder exceeded what the government was prepared to pay; while repairs to the Super King Air were cancelled due to changes in the
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