Seen shortly after being offloaded from a cargo aircraft in early October, the six ‘Little Bird' helicopters for Lebanon have been revealed to be a previously unknown MD 530F+ standard. (Lebanese Army)
Six MD Helicopters Inc (MDHI) MD 530 ‘Little Bird' scout and light-attack rotorcraft delivered to Lebanon in October have been revealed to be a previously unknown MD 530F+ standard.
The United States Embassy in Beirut disclosed the new standard on 16 November, when it noted the official handover of the helicopters to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Air Force.
“So today, we welcome the provision of six MD 530F+ light-attack helicopters to the Lebanese Armed Forces Air Force,” US Ambassador Dorothy C Shea said during the ceremony at Hamat Air Base.
When Janes reported the delivery of the helicopters aboard a chartered cargo aircraft on 6 October, the Defense Cooperation Office of the US Embassy in Lebanon referred to them as being MD 530F platforms. However, the original US Department of Defense contract, announced by MDHI in October 2018, was for the more advanced MD 530G version.
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