The Cambodia Daily
December 20, 2012
The Royal Cambodian Air Force will start to take delivery of 12
Chinese-made military helicopters from April next year to be used for
“humanitarian” purposes and defending Cambodian airspace, an official
said yesterday.
A Z-9 helicopter takes part in a rescue exercise in Hong Kong. (Reuters)
Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Soeung Samnang said that the
arrival of the Z-9 military utility helicopter was announced during an
annual military meeting held in Phnom Penh on Tuesday.
“Air Force bases will get 12 brand-new helicopters from China next year between April and August,” Lt. Gen. Samnang said.
“They are for helping the nation if it meets with disaster like
flooding, or for taking food supplies to remote areas in emergencies,”
he said, adding that the delivery was much needed to replace the Air
Force’s aging fleet of Russian-made Mi-8 and Mi-17 helicopters.
The Z-9 helicopter is a multiuse aircraft, but can be fitted with hi-tech weaponry for combat.
In August 2011, Prime Minister Hun Sen signed a deal with
then-Chinese Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang to loan
$195.5 million from China to pay for an unknown number of Chinese-made
helicopters.
Lt. Gen. Samnang declined to say how much the military helicopters
had cost, but said it was part of a deal done between the Chinese and
Cambodian governments last year.
The helicopter deal signed by Mr. Hun Sen came alongside a raft of
promised loans, grants and trade from China, which in recent years has
made Beijing Phnom Penh’s biggest patron. At the time, officials would
not disclose the number of helicopters purchased or the terms of the
loan.
The Z-9 is built under license by China’s Harbin Aircraft
Manufacturing Corporation and is based on the French-made Eurocopter
Dauphin helicopter. Armed versions are reportedly in use by the Chinese
People’s Liberation Army and the Pakistani military.
The website of the Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation, which
says the aircraft has 10 to 14 seats, describes only the chopper’s
non-offensive applications.
“After suitable optional equipment are installed, Z-9 helicopter can
be used for passenger/cargo transportation, offshore support, rescue,
fire extinguishing, aerial photography, sea patrol, research and rescue,
forest protection, outside suspension, law enforcement, drugs and
smuggling suppression,” the website says.
(Additional reporting by Simon Lewis)
14 comments:
It is an outdated helicopter, but for Cambodia it move closer to modern stuff. Hoping China offer Z-10 or Z-11. Not as best as an Apache AH-64 but close.
RPG can take it down easily
It is very essential for Cambodia at least owning a couple of them. I wonder if we have enough pilots to fly these machines as the period of Lon Nol and Sangkum Reasniyum era.
It is better than nothing it’s not for combat anyway but for some purposes.
It is very essential for Cambodia at least owning a couple of them. I wonder if we have enough pilots to fly these machines as the period of Lon Nol and Sangkum Reasniyum era.
You actually think its for humanitarian purpose?
Hun Sen using state money to build his army.
to kill murder khmer for his viet wife and family.
All of you need to STOP look down on your own country armed forces. Not all of our military personals are murderers. These Z-9 helicopters can be use for flood disaster reliefs, bring our special forces or commandos to remote in accessible places where the Viets and Siam trying to take like hills at Khmer-Siam borders, bring important supplies to our front line troops much faster convoys trucks, can be use for anti-tanks missles launch or enemies units. This Z-9 attack helicopters have quite a long range reach with its rockets and missles and RPG rounds will never reach it unless the pilot stupid enough to be so close to enemies positions. Although it's very vernables to MANPAD shoulder launch SAM missle like U.S Stinger MANPAD, British MANPAD, French MANPAD, even Chinese MANPAD. In my opinions I think this purchased was necessary for national defense. Hun Sen doesn't needs all these weapons to eliminate his enemies within, what he already got were more than sufficient to kill all those peoples. NO ONE in Cambodia even remotely come close to use arms to overthrow Hun Sen regime. The ONLY way to for Hun Sen to loose powers is either he die of natural death or he steps down after can't cheats election no more. Please don't start another arms conflict in Cambodia, our peoples have had enough of suffering, deaths. We MUST be united to try to protect our small country that we still have left. We going to need it because we had two very powerful, cunning, intelligent, thief neighbors. PLEASE STOP FIGHT AMONG OURSELVES even we had different political views.
6:26AM
Part of what you are saying is true.
Hun Sen has Khmer so scared that no one will dare to challenge him.
And the attack helicopter is another weapon he will use on Khmer.
You think i don't know your reverse pyschology "can't we all just get along"? attitude. BS
This is a country that use democracy to steal money and make sure khmer people are so afraid that they will never rise up and challange.
Stop borrowing money from China and putting the bill on Khmers' next generations to pay for your irresponsible carelessness bill.Hun sen kept on borrowing China money all of his next generation kids will be slave to China.Hun sen and his cpp's clans putting the burden on all cambodians born after he gone to helll.Hun sen never learn anything from the past history of war in Lon Nol era that we still owed America about 4millions dollars don't even pay them back yet,now kept on borrowing from China for his cpp's clans' personal's protection gears against riots or non aggressor Siamese,Hun Sen open the door border for his Yuon counterpart to steal more of Khmers' land everyday.The bible says: the "borrowers are slave to the lenders" After Hun thugs all gone to hell khmers childrens will work to pay off Hun shit's personal debt at least a generation.
Yobol Khmer
Of course this is better than nothing. It's cheap and affordable. What worries me is the amount of Cambodia's debt to China and the fact that these helicopters are used to build up Hun Sen's private army and arsenal to deter future challenge/coup against him. We don't know how much these helicopters cost or how much state money was irresponsibly spent to build up Hun Sen's private army.
The cost is 195.5 millions dollars China paid to China company to put a hook on Cambodge's mouth for the next generation kids not even born yet to pay back plus interest i don't know what's percentage of interest will be charged?...Hun sen Cpp were irresponsible's thugs of China and Hanoi to borrowed at this magnitude just protect riots and Siamese non aggressor thieves.Well,to me Siamese is not a threat but Yuon yiekcong was/is....Yuon Hanoi killed khmers with the help of its thugs[Cpp] calmly that Hun sen don't even realize it...
Kmenhwatt
First the tanks, now the helicopters, what's next toys for Hun Sen? Oh yes, Navy boats?
khmer needs to improve their defenses, very very poor/weak
no comparision to Viet/Thai,,
Probably, Hun Sen strongly hopes that the oil and gas would be pumped out in the near future and then he would use the money from it in order to repay the national debt in step by step.
Don’t stop to criticize Hun Sen about this if we want to improve our national defense from low tech to high tech weapons.
Am ready to fight with my enenies Mr. Hun Sen and the Cambodian government.
because I don't like Hun Sen.
But am a coward and not ready to fight with the real enemies of our country Cambodia.
Post a Comment