Swedish Helicopter Wing to Outline Extended Afghan Mission

LONDON, December 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

As Swedish Armed Forces prepare to redeploy again to Afghanistan in April 2013, the commander of the Helicopter Wing is set to meet with military peers at Defence IQ's International Military Helicopter event in January to discuss the acquisition of UH-60M Black Hawks that has made the mission possible.

Following the delivery of 15 of the aircraft last year, Colonel Magnus Westerlund praised the Black Hawk as being the best solution for the job as his forces prepare to assist all allied troops with tactical medevac. Listen to the interview here: http://www.militaryhelicopterevent.com

"We needed a long term solution but we were extremely short of time," Westerlund said ahead of his briefing at International Military Helicopter, which will be taking place in London. "It's not a normal way of buying helicopters.  It's a government-to-government solution… and at the same time, we have had great support from Sikorsky who are using Saab as an under contractor for the work."

Westerlund stressed that aside to his own address at International Military Helicopter, he is eager to hear more from other nations as to their own experiences working with civilian contractors.

This is set to be a hot topic on the International Military Helicopter agenda, where senior military personnel from the UK, US, Italy, Poland, Portugal, France and The Netherlands will recount lessons from recent operations as well as planning concerns for future engagements. They include:

• Major General Glenn Walters, Commander, 2nd Marine, Aircraft Wing, US Marine Corps
• Brigadier General Reinhard Wolski, Chief, Army Aviation, German Army
• Brigadier General Krzysztof Mitrega, Commander, First Army Aviation Brigade, Polish Army
• Brigadier General Gourlez de la Motte, Commander, French Army Aviation, French Army
• Air Commodore William Westerbeek, Commander, Defence Helicopter Command, Royal Netherlands Air Force

International Military Helicopter will feature a dedicated focus day on Enhancing Night Operations with Rotary-Wing Assets, assessing the latest tactics and techniques, along with the technical solutions that can be implemented to improve the safety and success of night operations with rotary-wing assets.

International Military Helicopter 2013 will be held between 29 - 31 January in London and is sponsored by NHIndustries, RUAG Aviation, Elbit Systems EW & SIGINT - Elisra Ltd, FMV - Vidsel Test Range, Saab, Heli-One, MD Helicopters, Thales, Honeywell and TenCate Advanced Armour.

Notes to Editors:

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Contact Debbie Young , +44-(0)20-7368-9737, email defence@iqpc.co.uk or visit: http://www.militaryhelicopterevent.com