Three G-120TP Trainers and Three H145 Helicopters
On 18 May, the Ecuadorian Air Force formally incorporated three Grob G-120TP trainers and three Airbus H145 helicopters at its facilities at Ala 22, located in Guayaquil.
The trainers, which arrived last September, will replace the T-34C-1 TURBO MENTOR aircraft (withdrawn from service in 2017) at the Escuela Superior Militar de Aviación ‘Cosme Rennella Barbatto,’ located in Salinas. The first three Grobs have already accumulated over 1,000 flight hours, and will shortly be joined by three more, which started their ferry flight from Germany on 19 May. A final batch of two aircraft will be delivered in January next year, and the service expects to buy another four, bringing the eventual fleet to twelve aircraft.
The helicopters will form part of Squadron 2211, ‘Cobras,’ of Wing 22 in Guayaquil – the wing also incorporates Combat Squadron 2212, ‘Lobos,’ which flies four Bell TH-57s (of a total of 12 received in 1991), two Bell 206s (received in 2010} and four Leonardo AW-119 KOALAs (received in 2019). A further three H145s will be transported to Ecuador in an Antonov An-124 shortly, to complete the fleet of six units.
Santiago Rivas and Florencia Lucero Heguy in Buenos Aires for MON
