PANO – The Vietnam Navy held a ceremony to receive two EC-225 helicopters and set up a squadron of helicopter at Vung Tau Airport on December 25th in the presence of Admiral Nguyen Van Hien, Deputy-Minister of Defence and Head of the Navy.

EC-225 at Vung Tau Airport
The newly-established squadron has put two modern EC-225 helicopters into service for reconnaissance, patrol, search and rescue at sea. With a load capacity of 11 tons, the helicopter can reach speeds of 260kph and has an operational range of 520miles.

Addressing the ceremony, the Admiral affirmed that the Squadron represents the honour, pride, and responsibility of the Vietnam Navy in defending the national sovereignty over the seas, islands, continental shelf and exclusively economic zones. He also asked troops to bear full responsibility for managing and using effectively the helicopters to fulfill all missions.

After the ceremony, the Admiral and other leaders of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province and army units took test flights on the two helicopters.

Translated by Van Hieu