A decision by Russia to halt supplies of spare parts for military
helicopters, in response to EU sanctions, would impact the Czech military,
financial daily Hospodářské noviny writes. Such a move would, for
example, eventually ground the military’s fleet of 16 Mi-171s. Citing
analysis by the Defence Ministry, the daily reports the aircraft could only
operate for six months without a new influx of parts and supplies. The
Mi-171s are highly-regarded within the military, otherwise easy to maintain
and capable of operating in adverse weather conditions, the only “flaw”
being their dependency on spare parts from Russia, the daily writes. To
fulfil urgent tasks, the military needs a minimum of 12 helicopters in
operation. A short-term solution, in case of a supply halt, would be the
"cannibalisation" or taking parts from some of the aircraft for
use in others. In the meantime, the military would have to seek
Western-made helicopters to replace the Mi-171s.