A special ceremony took place at the Lielvārde air force base to show off the choppers, which was attended by Defense inister Ināra Mūrniece, National Armed Forces commander Lieutenant-General Leonīds Kalniņš, the new U.S. ambassador to Latvia Christopher Robinson and air force commander Colonel Viesturs Masulis.
The acquisition process has been a fairly lengthy one. As previously reported by LSM, in September 2018, the Cabinet of Ministers supported the purchase of four Black Hawk helicopters worth approximately 175 million euros, concluding an intergovernmental agreement with the USA. The contract includes the purchase of helicopters and necessary equipment, training of personnel, purchase of spare parts, technical documentation, support for the implementation of the system, and the introduction of airworthiness and operational procedures in accordance with U.S. standards.
Air Force pilots and technicians have participated in several training courses since 2020 to learn the operation and maintenance of the helicopters, and in fact the choppers have already been on Latvian soil for two months, arriving on December 11, 2022. The delivery of the remaining two helicopters is planned by the end of this year.
