HIP helicopters for Afstan soon/UAVs next year

Babbling's recent post is pretty damn prescient. From MND Mackay today (note six, not eight, CH-47Ds though, and six to eight leased Mi-8s; also note the Poles at end):

Defence Minister Peter MacKay says Canada will lease six to eight Russian-built helicopters to ferry troops around the battlefield in Afghanistan until it can purchase new U.S. aircraft.

He describes it as a stopgap measure. Securing helicopter transport to get soldiers off the bomb-laced roads of Kandahar was a principal condition when Parliament extended the combat mission until 2011.

MacKay says a deal to purchase six CH-47-D Chinooks from the U.S. Army has been worked out, but those heavy-lift aircraft will not arrive until late this year - or early next [late this year would be a speed-up - MC].

In the meantime, MacKay says the Defence Department has worked out a lease involving Russian-made Mi-8 choppers.

He did not say what country - or company - would provide the aircraft, nor was the cost of the lease made public.

Last winter, Poland offered Canada access to two of its Mi-17 battlefield transport helicopters, part of its increased commitment to the Afghan mission.

They were expected to arrive this summer, but military officials have privately expressed concern about availability.

Polish special forces soldiers operating in Kandahar would have first call on the choppers.

Mi-17s have previously been mentioned as the possible Canadian lease (see Babbling's post mentioned about). Actually they would seem to make sense for Kandahar as the aircraft is simply the "hot and high version" of the Mi-8. Also worth noting: the HIP has considerably less capacity than the Chinook (they do not have a "similar capacity" as Mr Mackay said). And who'll crew the HIPs? Mercenaries, gasp?

Video of the minister here.

Earlier in the day on "Canada AM":

An increase to Canada's troop commitment in Afghanistan to 2,700 would represent the additional boots on the ground needed to run aerial drones and six Chinook helicopters, said Defence Minister Peter MacKay...

"And this will also importantly provide the ability to transport troops and equipment inside Afghanistan's Kandahar province, as well as giving that all important eye in the sky perspective for the UAVs."..

I wonder what Air Force personnel think of being called "boots on the ground"! Except the minister didn't say it--it's what the news staff wrote (video here). And no mention of what type of UAV will be going to Afstan.

Update: The US is looking at supplying Mi-17s to the Afghan National Army's Air Corps.

Upperdate: Brits thinking along our lines--note also restrictions on their Lynx helicopters--probably similar to the situation our Griffons would be in should we send them (via milnewstbay):

British forces are so short of helicopters in Afghanistan and Iraq that they are considering renting them from other countries, or even from the controversial US security contractor Blackwater...

The British force in Helmand is supported by eight Chinooks (up to 40 passengers) and four Royal Navy Sea Kings (up to 10). Four Army Air Corps Lynx helicopters are also based in Helmand, but cannot fly between 11am and 11pm in the summer, the traditional fighting season, because of the effect the heat has on their engines. There are also eight Apache gunships, but they cannot carry passengers. When the USSR occupied Afghanistan it had 1,000 helicopters to support and supply its troops...

Uppestdate: A comment at Milnet.ca:

An "aviation regiment" is forming up for deployment with TF 1/09..... flying Griffons & Chinooks....

Here's a story on one part of that Task Force.