Two of the four AgustaWestland (AW) 139 helicopters bought under the Patrick Manning administration in 2009 are grounded because of structural cracks on their tailbooms. A source at the T&T Air Guard said one of the aircraft developed a crack early last year and the other developed a similar one in the same general area. The Air Guard official described the helicopters as unsuitable for military operations, saying they were better equipped for civilian use.
“The only reason we took the helicopters was because they had an extra seat. So the military aspect was sacrificed,” the official said. National Security Minister Gary Griffith said on Monday he was notified by Chief of Defence Staff Brig Gen Kenrick Maharaj and would be taking steps to rectify the problem. Griffith said even when the structural problems were fixed, the helicopters would still be white elephants, as they were useless to the Defence Force.
The former PNM government purchased the AW139 choppers to work in tandem with the three offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) —a deal the People’s Partnership Government cancelled. Griffith, who described the helicopters as a “big liability,” said they could not be used as part of the anti-crime tools employed during this year’s Carnival celebrations. “I want my troops to have the best assets but these helicopters are littered with complications,” Griffith said.
He also blamed the former administration for buying the helicopters without properly consulting the Defence Force. Griffith said the AW139 was a relatively large helicopter and that made some operations impossible, including landing in forested areas to do marijuana-eradication exercises.
In addition, he said: “The equipment fit on the AW139 does not lend itself to independent offshore operations in the maritime surveillance role. The helicopters lack search radar and are thus dependent on the shore-based radar or radar on surface platforms as their integral FLIR systems have limited range.”
He said the helicopters were delivered with a civil registration, 9Y, and hence could not carry armaments despite being fitted with attachments for general-purpose machine guns (GPMGs). A 9Y registration, he explained, meant there were severe limits on the operational usage of the aircraft. “This is why after three years, our law-enforcement officials have received virtually no support from these white-elephant helicopters that the taxpayers paid over $2 billion for,” Griffith said.
He said during the state of emergency, the nationwide blackout, and major operations, the helicopters could not be used.
Browne responds
Griffith must tell the nation whether the helicopters developed the cracks because of poor maintenance, former Minister in the Ministry of Finance Mariano Browne said when contacted on Monday. He said the four medium twin-turbine helicopters cost US$93.6 million or US$23.4 million each. This included all customisation costs to configure them for their role in supporting the OPVs, including additional armourplating.
The cost of the maintenance support package was US$129.7 million and the cost of training was US$125.8 million. Browne said before the helicopters were bought there was extensive consultation with the Air Guard, including the commanding and deputy commanding officers, the commander of operations of the Coast Guard and safety specialists. On why the helicopters were brought in as 9Y, Browne said they had to be maintained under the Civil Aviation Authority, as the military had no aviation rules.
Griffith said that made no sense, as National Operation Centre helicopters complied with military aviation rules.