Lebanon receives six MD530 Little Bird helicopters from US – Cavok Brasil

The Lebanese Air Force received six MD530F assault helicopters from MD helicopters, which delivered them under a US military agreement signed in October 2018.

These helicopters, also known as small birds, arrived at Beirut Airport on October 6 aboard a Boeing 747 cargo ship.

The company provided the fuses as part of a comprehensive $ 120 million safety equipment distribution program announced by the United States in 2017.

“The Lebanese military has gifted six helicopters (MD530F +) to the United States in the presence of several officers and members of the US Embassy’s Security Cooperation Office in Lebanon,” the Lebanese military said in a statement on Wednesday.

The helicopters were delivered after a delay of one and a half years after the first Lebanese Air Force pilots successfully completed their training class on MD helicopters. This was the first of three classes involving pilots, caretakers and armed personnel, which took place at Mesa, Arizona, and an offshore artillery training site.

Armored MD530s delivered to Lebanon feature a full glass cockpit with Genesis Aerosystems flagship LCD monitors, Tech Fusion Global’s Pathfinder mission management system and Aries Arm Management systems.

Helicopters carry 62mm ballistic shield protection, FN Hurstel .50 caliber HMP400 machine guns, M260 7-shot rocket launchers, 70mm APKWS rockets, Wescom MX-10D EO / IR laser rockets, laser systems. Scorpion and Harris Falcon III RF-7850A-MR radios.

Blackhall Aerospace will provide training and technical support to the Lebanese Air Force to maintain and maintain helicopters until March 2026, under a $ 26.9 million contract beginning in September 2021.