Coast Guard to purchase new rescue helicopters

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) hopes to purchase brand new rescue helicopters within the next 14 months once its proposed P1.6-billion budget for year 2011 is approved.

PCG Wing commander Commodore Aaron Reconquista said the amount could be used to purchase at least two of the seven previously proposed brand new Eurocopter EC-145 utility rescue choppers.

This new generation of jet engine rescue choppers would be useful in marine search and rescue operations because it can fly in almost all types of weather. It can also fly as high as 18,000 feet and can carry a total of nine passengers.

“The reason why we chose this type of rescue chopper, aside from the fact that it can carry more load than our present rescue choppers (Bolkow MBB Bo-105), is its fitness to land on the helipad of our 56-meter search and rescue vessels such as the BRP-San Juan, BRP-Edsa Dos, BRP-Pampanga and BRP-Batangas,” Reconquista said.

The PCG’s air assets consist of only two Bolkow MBB Bo-105s that were donated by the Philippine Aerospace Development Corp. in 1999.

The aircraft are housed inside the Department of Transportation and Communications hangar in Pasay City.

But even if the helicopters have been with the agency for 11 years, they have proven to be valuable to the organization and come in handy in the conduct of search and rescue operations.

Commodore Reconquista is hoping that the purchase of the seven EC-145 choppers would be completed in the next five years.