Benin’s armed forces displayed newly acquired helicopters during the country’s Independence Day parade on 1 August.
Three H215 Super Puma and two H125M helicopters were part of the flypast celebrating Benin’s 63rd anniversary of independence at the beginning of the month.
The H215s arrived on 28 June aboard a Maximus Airlines An-124 from Amman, Jordan, while the two H125M light helicopters arrived in February aboard a Zetavia Il-76 from Spain.
The H215s (TY-39H, TY-40H, and TY-41H) are ex Royal Jordanian Air Force helicopters – Jordan put up nine of its Super Pumas for sale in 2020.
The H215s will join the H125Ms (TY-37H and TY-38H) in counter-terrorism operations in the northwest of Benin, where 3 000 soldiers are deployed to counter Islamist extremists as part of Operation Mirador, which has been ongoing since last year. Government troops, aircraft, and armoured vehicles have been deployed in the north-west on the border with Burkina Faso and in the north-east on the border with Niger.
The two H125Ms were fitted with Trakka Systems TC-300 long-range HD electro-optical/infrared camera systems, but it does not appear the H215s have received any additional equipment. The two H125Ms (formerly EC-NXF and EC-NXH) were previously operated by Spanish air services provider Eliance.