MD Helicopters has received a firm order for 12 additional MD530F Cayuse Warrior armed scout helicopters for Afghanistan.

Contracted via the US Army, deliveries of all the rotorcraft will take place over the next 12 months, says MD Helicopters.

They will be equipped with .50 cal gun pods, 2.75 inch rockets, ballistic protection, tactical communications systems, and a fixed-forward sighting system.

Kabul's fledgling air force already operates 16 Cayuse Warriors dating from a September 2014 order.

“The MD 530F has played an integral role in building the capabilities of the Afghan air force and the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces since the first aircraft arrived in Shindand in 2011,” says Lynn Tilton, chief executive of MD Helicopters.

Source: FlightGlobal.com