Military helicopters “sank” on the Thessalian plain

Tragic images from the Stefanovikou helicopter base showing Bell UH-1 Iroquois (unofficially known as Huey) helicopters The Greek Air Force actually drowned on the Thessalian Plain.

Thus, instead of flying over the affected areas and providing assistance to the stranded residents of Thessaly, they ended up forgotten and filled with water.

As it turned out later, attack helicopters found themselves in a similar position, that is, left to the mercy of the elements. AH-64 Apache, which were also… forgotten.

These photographs have gone around the world, and everyone is laughing at the Greek armed forces, for the maintenance of which the citizens of Greece spend 4-5 billion euros a year from their savings and meager salaries.

In the photo, an Apache helicopter (the main and most expensive weapon of the Army Air Forces) lies submerged in the water, and the question arises: is this a decommissioned helicopter? Have any of the Apaches, for each of which we paid about 70 million, been written off? Have the expensive weapons been retired or were they simply destroyed by the flood because they could not be salvaged?

The following is an awkward statement from the Greek Army General Staff:

“The General Headquarters of the Army reports that all helicopters (E/P) stationed at the headquarters of the 1st Army Aviation Brigade (1st ΤΑΞΑΣ) at the airfield (A/D) Stefanovicio Volos have been safely transferred to a dry runway within the A / D, in accordance with the existing existing and established procedures for the safety of material assets and objects.

First, in accordance with current protocols, all operational, in operation and used used vehicles were transported. Then used (UH-1H) were transported, which were declared inoperative due to age (60 years) and decommissioned for a long time.

They are captured in published photographs. Stefanovikeiu Airport continues to operate. All aircraft in it are safe. It is understood that readiness is maintained to relocate to other bases in the area or to other places in accordance with established procedures (protocols), if required by the dynamic situation associated with this phenomenon.

Don’t believe your eyes…

It should be noted that the “inactive” helicopters, as described by ΓΕΣ, were towed to a dry place after the publication of the photos. If they were “old”, why were they towed?

It should be emphasized that specific helicopters were transferred from Stefanovikeou to the 111th Fighter Wing in Nea Agialos, where a few weeks ago there were fires and explosions.

The transfer of helicopters takes place on the recommendation of the commander of the Stefanovikeu helicopter base and the commander of the 1st Army. As it became known, there is an order to remove all helicopters from the base in the 1st Army Aviation Brigade and leave for a safer area.

All Ε/Π are safe” , – states ΓΕΣ attaching a photo. But what about statements that the helicopters have been written off?

Super Puma not flying due to lack of maintenance due to the government’s choice to entrust the maintenance of military helicopters to a private workshop for which the Accounts Chamber did not approve the execution of the corresponding contract, since this workshop is not certified by the manufacturer!

It is an oxymoron that while Greek Super Puma helicopters sit idle in hangars without maintenance and mechanics cannibalize for lack of spare parts, three Swiss Super Puma fire helicopters arrived on Evros to help put out the fire. fire in the forest of Dadia and remained in Greece due to bad weather, rush to the aid of the victims in Thessaly.

The corresponding statement for assistance in Thessaly was made by the Swiss Embassy in Athens, and not by the competent Greek authorities.

It should be noted that of the 12 Super Puma helicopters available in Greece, they fly only 2 or 3, the rest rot or are “disassembled” for spare parts. And this doesn’t just apply to Super Puma.

EMAK’s recent operational needs in Turkey and the fiasco mission in Egypt revealed another egregious situation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suklpg3wlLE

Of the 13 military transport aircraft, only one C130PA aircraft flies!

And the matter is not limited only to C130 aircraft. The situation is also tragic with the newer and compact transport aircraft C27 Spartan, of which the PA has 8, but only two fly!

In February last year, Mitsotakis ordered 6 new C130s, and these days the application for the purchase of new search and rescue helicopters is closing. Buy spare parts? What for?

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