February 28 - Heavy lift helicopter operator Columbia Helicopters has acquired ten new aircraft from the Swedish Department of Defence.
The contract is for six Boeing Vertol 107-II and four Kawasaki Vertol 107-II helicopters.
Columbia Helicopters' project team has disassembled and shipped the first three aircraft. The remaining seven choppers will be delivered to the USA over the course of 2013.
"The Vertol 107-II is the backbone of Columbia's fleet. We use them for military support, logging, fighting fires, construction projects and on petroleum exploration projects around the world," commented Stan Wilson, president of Columbia Helicopters, which claims to be the world's only commercial operator of the tandem rotor aircraft and will make an application to add the new equipment to its FAA Type Certificate.
The company also operates the Columbia Model 234 Chinook heavy lift helicopter.
