Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The United States government has handed over two M28 Skytrucks to the Nepal Army.
US Ambassador to Nepal Dean Thompson formally handed over the aircraft to Chief of Army Staff Ashok Raj Sigdel amid a ceremony organized at the Nepal Army Hangar at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on Thursday.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Arzu Rana Deuba and Minister for Defence Manbir Rai were also present on the occasion.
The aircraft are suitable for Nepal’s geography due to their short take-off and landing capability. Built in Poland, the planes are expected to play an important role in humanitarian aid and disaster response operations. The support, a $30.3 million grant agreement, is part of one of the US government’s largest security assistance packages to Nepal. The agreement also includes flight training packages, spare parts, medical supplies, technical assistance, and the delivery of the aircraft from the PZL Mielec plant in Poland to Kathmandu.
PZL Mielec, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin in Poland, manufactured these skytrucks.
One of them has been specially configured as an air ambulance, the first of its kind to be used by the Nepal Army. With a payload capacity of 2,300 kg, the planes can fly at altitudes of up to 25,000 feet.
Equipped with Honeywell avionics systems, the aircraft can operate day and night under both VFR and IFR conditions in all weather. Each aircraft can carry three crew members and 18 passengers, and will be deployed for disaster medical teams, relief transport, parachute operations, large-scale casualty evacuation, and occasionally for VIP transport, according to the Nepal Army.
Speaking on the occasion, CoAS Sigdel said that training and assistance provided by the US government have strengthened bilateral ties between the two countries. Similarly, Ambassador Thompson expressed hope that the aircraft, provided to support disaster management and humanitarian needs, would serve as a bridge in US-Nepal relations.
Earlier in 2019, the US signed a $19 million agreement to supply two M28s to Nepal. The aircraft arrived in Kathmandu in December 2019.
