The Alliance on Mi-17 Shopping Spree

The news of Canadian military in Afghanistan having leased some Russian Mi-17 helicopters is the latest to surface in a string of similar development. Says Ricks:

"My guess is that because both the Afghan and Pakistani militaries use the Mi-17, this makes it more convenient to fly NATO forces across the border and into the FATA as necessary, with lots of plausible deniability, especially if they are flown at night and no one gets around to painting a lot of markings on the aircraft. That would explain why, as the Canadian report puts it, 'details were kept off the MERX web-site, which formally lists government procurement competitions, and no news release was issued about the new choppers, which have been in use since the spring.'"

Report: Canadian military leasing Russian Mi-17 helos in Afghanistan - By Tom Ricks | The Best Defense: