Philippines Gets Fresh Batch of Hueys from U.S.

The Philippine government has received nine Bell UH-1Hs from the United States to assist in the fight against a communist insurgency and al-Qaeda-linked terror groups. The aircraft may also be used for disaster relief.  Another 11 are due to be delivered later this year. The helicopters were refurbished at a cost of about $22 million under a U.S. military assistance program. The military has 40 Hueys in its fleet. The air force grounded the fleet last month after an April 28 crash of a UH-1H killed nine people. Earlier this year, the Philippines said it would purchase six refurbished attack helicopters at a cost of about 1.2 billion pesos ($24.5 million). For related news