By Charminae George
Operations of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force are expected to see a boost with the addition of another aircraft to its air wing.
This aircraft, ‘Alpha 2’, is one of two nine-seater aircrafts in the ABDF’s fleet.
Along with the ‘Alpha 1’, the aircraft is expected to carry out duties including medevac services, movement of troops, humanitarian disaster recovery, and search and rescue efforts, according to Lieutenant Colonel, Alando Michael.
He told Observer that the new addition will allow for versatility as two situations can be remedied simultaneously.
“Let’s say for instance, we had to go to St Lucia, and at the same time we had a call from Barbuda for a medevac. It now allows us the versatility to be in two places at once,” the lieutenant colonel said.
Another role of the aircrafts is to transport heads of government when there are no commercial flights available, he indicated.
The services of the air wing are not limited to Antigua and Barbuda but are extended to the 11 other countries of the Regional Security System (RSS).
“It isn’t only when Antigua and Barbuda need it, but other countries in the RSS need an aircraft for one reason or another,” the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, Lionel ‘Max’ Hurst, said in the post-Cabinet press briefing yesterday.
An air wing is essentially a military’s aircraft unit that may have dozens of aircrafts.
A medevac refers to the transportation of a sick or injured person to a hospital via a helicopter or plane.
The RSS was established in the early 1980s with the purpose of ensuring the stability and wellbeing of member countries while fostering regional security.
It is comprised of 12 countries: Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Barbados, according to Lieutenant Colonel Michael.