UK hands over Sea King helicopters to Pakistan Navy

LONDON: Sea King helicopters purchased from the United Kingdom have been formally handed over to Pakistan Navy on 24 May, in a ceremony attended by Syed Ibne Abbas, Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK.

Mr Christopher Bob Richardson represented the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) in the formal handing over ceremony.

The contract for purchase of seven helicopters was signed last year. A separate contract was signed with Vector Aerospace for maintenance of the aircraft before being shipped to Pakistan later this year.

The High Commissioner lauded the historic relationship between the armed forces of Pakistan and the United Kingdom and the role played by the UK in capacity building of Pakistan Armed Forces both in terms of equipment support and training.

He thanked the representatives of the UK MoD, Leonardo and Vector Aerospace for their support in making the project a success and hoped that the cooperation between the two armed forces would continue to grow in future.