Canada's Military to Lease Mi-8s

Canada plans to lease Russian helicopters to support its battlefield operations in Afghanistan while it awaits Chinooks from the U.S. Defence Minister Peter MacKay said the country will lease up to eight Mil-designed Mi-8s as a stopgap for its role in NATO operations in and around Kandahar until it can acquire six Boeing CH-47Ds from the U.S. Army under a $375 million deal. The Chinooks are to arrive later this year or early in 2009. For related news