LIMA, Peru - The Peruvian Army has been forced to cancel a modernization program for two of its Antonov An-32B aircraft.
Last month, the Army's Aviation Maintenance Center issued an urgent requirement for the purchase of additional Mi-171Sh transport helicopters from Russia. In order to finance the purchase, the Army was forced to cancel the An-32 program and reallocate funds.
Colombian company AerCaribe had been selected to perform the modernization on June 2. The contract was valued at just over $3 million and was to cover the airframes and systems.
The Air Force, Navy, Army, and National Police all field the An-32 transport. By the end of 1994, the Army had acquired 23 An-32Vs from various civil and military users in Ukraine. However, many of the aircraft are now reaching the end of their service lives.