KHARTOUM, March 26 (ChinaMil) -- China's first peacekeeping helicopter detachment to South Sudan successfully completed air transport of troops and equipment of a Rwandan peacekeeping infantry battalion on Saturday.
In February of this year, the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) began to merge and adjust the peacekeeping mission areas in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the peacekeeping forces stationed in the mission areas began to conduct large-scale rotation.
The Chinese helicopter detachment was entrusted by the UNAMID with the task of personnel and material air transport of peacekeeping forces in troop rotation operation.
The mission area of the Rwandan peacekeeping infantry battalion is frequently visited by dust storms. In order to ensure flight safety, the Chinese helicopter detachment made a careful plans on arrangements of flights, crew members, and flight control priorities and so forth.
The Chinese peacekeeping helicopters flew nearly 50 hours in total and transported nearly 400 people and 18 tons of supplies during the 11-day flight mission.
The Rwandan peacekeeping infantry battalion was the second UNAMID force unit the Chinese helicopter detachment has helped with its personnel and material air transport during the troop rotation period. In 4th of this month, the detachment had completed the airlift of soldiers and materials of the Senegalese peacekeeping infantry battalion.
China's first peacekeeping helicopter detachment consists of one flight company, one maintenance company and one logistics support company with a total strength of 140 peacekeepers and 4 Mi-171 medium multi-purpose helicopters.
The detachment is mainly responsible for such support tasks as the air patrols, air lifts of peacekeeping troops, search and evacuation of personnel, logistics supply transportation and so on.