The KT-1P aircrafts manufactured in Peru, under the agreement with South Korea, will have a direct impact the country’s fight against drug trafficking, said Alberto Otarola, Executive President at the National Commission for Development and Life Without Drugs (Devida).
Even though these aircrafts serve as basic training, they can also be equipped and armed to carry out interdiction of illicit drug trafficking in the valley formed by the Apurimac, Ene and Mantaro rivers. (VRAEM).
The head of Devida confirmed these modern planes will be used for this purpose, given that their versatility allows the "use of force on the ground and in the air."
Otarola said their effectiveness was shown on Tuesday with a successful opening flight.
KT-1P aircrafts cost US$8 million and are “the most popular ones around the world” because even the government of the United States is interested in them, he detailed.
The strategic alliance with South Korea implies the acquisition of 20 aircrafts and the technological transfer for the co-production of 16 of them, a process that will end in 2016.
The government official said he has a thorough understanding of the accord between Peru and South Korea to jointly manufacture the aircrafts, because such process began when he was Defense Minister of the current administration, post that he held between December 2011 and May 2012.
“This has reflected the continued policy action of the government to provide Peruvian aviation with Korean technology, one of the most modern in the world,” Devida’s Head said.
In a special ceremony held in Lima on Tuesday, South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Peruvian Head of State Ollanta Humala officially provided Peru Air Force the first KT-1P aircraft produced by both, FAP's Maintenance Service Department (Seman) and the Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI).
(END) MVF/FHG/RMB/MVB
Published: 4/24/2015