According to sources in Naypyidaw, the military has taken control of a state-owned helicopter that was originally purchased by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi for search and rescue operations and emergency response during natural disasters. The helicopter is no longer under the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement. The AW-139 helicopter, with registration number XY-AFT, arrived in Myanmar on October 30, 2020. Following the 2021 military coup, Min Aung Hlaing transferred ownership to military control.
The helicopter is now fully under the control of the Transport Ministry and Air Force, spending most of its time grounded except for occasional flights. All major decisions regarding the helicopter’s use are made by the Air Force and military headquarters. While it remains classified as a civilian aircraft, its activities are limited to maintenance and occasional flights. The National Natural Disaster Management Committee, led by Vice Senior General Soe Win, has theoretical authority to use the helicopter, but it wasn’t deployed even during the emergency response to the Sagaing earthquake on March 28.
The helicopter was purchased during the NLD government’s administration through a contract signed with Italy’s Leonardo S.P.A. company on October 17, 2019. The aircraft has the capacity to carry 16 people, including 2 pilots and 14 passengers, with a range of over 600 kilometers and capabilities for both ground and maritime rescue operations. In December 2022, the military council sentenced President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi to 7 years in prison under anti-corruption laws related to the helicopter’s purchase, while coup leader Min Aung Hlaing has purchased an Airbus A-319 XY-ALK from Aviation Capital Group in the United States for his family’s international travel, frequently flying to Russia and China.
