The Colombian Navy (ARC), is planning to purchase an ATR 42-500/600 aircraft and a Beechcraft King Air 200/B200 aircraft.
With this project, the ARC pursues as its objective the maintenance of its air fleet and that of its aeronaval infrastructure throughout the territory, through the effective maintenance of its means. It also seeks to improve its operational availability for the development of constitutionally assigned missions.
To realize this initiative, the approval of budget items valued at 3,529,000 dollars, for the ATR, and 2,539,000 dollars, for the King 200, in addition to other sums for the maintenance of the hangar of the Caribbean Aeronaval Group (ganca), as confirmed to this newspaper Diego Alvarado, financial specialist in this type of projects.
However, taking as a background events that occurred recently, the ARC has warned that the limitations to this process could be the blockades or budget cuts, by the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit.
It is important to note that if these aircraft are acquired, the transport, liaison, air movement and support capabilities of Naval Aviation would be reinforced with them.