LOM Praha wins public tender worth 250 million Czech crowns

The Czech company LOM Praha has won a NATO public tender worth 250 million Czech crowns to modernize two Hungarian and two Bulgarian helicopters of the type Mi-17. The modernization of one such helicopter takes about six months. Czech Television reported on Sunday that this is the first step toward a complete overhaul of all Russian-built helicopters in use in NATO member states. LOM Praha is the only company in the NATO that has a license to repair helicopters built in Russia, some 200 of which are still in use today. Whether the company will be able to win a tender to repair all of these helicopters is doubtful. Minister of Defense Alexandr Vondra has said that the fight for such a tender would be a tough one.