Russia, Cameroon sign deal for undisclosed number of Mil Mi-17 choppers.

During the recently ended MAKS 2013 International Aviation & Space Salon held at Moscow's Ramenskoye Airport, Russia and Cameroon signed a deal for the delivery of an unspecified number of Mil Mi-17 helicopters for onward placement with the Cameroonian Air Force.

Mil Mi-17 helicopters (US DoS)

The deal, a first military contract between the countries, was signed by Cameroon’s Defense Ministry and Russia’s state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport, which is part of Russian Technologies. The contract is the likely culmination of a meeting in Moscow in February between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the deputy director of the Russian Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation under Russia’s Defense Ministry and Cameroon's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo.

“This is the first contract as part of military technology collaboration between Russia and Cameroon,” Rosoboronexport CEO Anatoly Isaikin said in a statement. It was not immediately clear how many helicopters Russia would deliver under the contract or when.

In his statement, Rosoboronexport’s CEO explicitly identified expanding exports to countries in Africa as a priority, and said it is seeking to renew ties with Botswana, Ghana, and Equatorial Guinea.

Source: African Aviation Tribune