On September 6, 2024, the Portuguese Ministry of National Defense announced that the final truck carrying Kamov helicopter parts bound for Ukraine had left the EMA facilities in Ponte de Sor. This action concludes the transfer of six Russian Kamov Ka-32A11BC helicopters to Ukraine, following a donation request made by the Ukrainian government to Portugal on February 23, 2023. The helicopters have been donated in their current state of conservation.
The Ministry explained that this transfer is part of Portugal’s broader donation efforts to Ukraine. The process, which involved negotiations between the Portuguese and Ukrainian governments, was conducted after a period of uncertainty. The Portuguese Ministry of National Defense, in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, managed the logistics in cooperation with Ukrainian authorities, including the Ukrainian Embassy in Lisbon and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
The transfer apparently began on April 10, 2024, after a prolonged period of speculation and delay. The helicopters, originally acquired by Portugal in 2007, are marked with yellow and black insignia and are currently being transported to Ukraine. The Ka-32A11BC variant is a modified version of the Ka-32A helicopter, designed primarily for carrying cargo on an external sling.
According to a report by Fire Aviation on October 19, 2022, Portugal purchased the six Kamov Ka-32A helicopters for €348 million in 2007. These helicopters were intended for personnel transport and firefighting, but maintenance difficulties led to none of the helicopters being operational by April 2022. The situation worsened after the expulsion of a Russian maintenance team by the Portuguese government in response to sanctions imposed on Russia due to its actions in Ukraine. The subsequent closure of the Ponte de Sor maintenance facility left Portugal without the capacity to maintain the helicopters, causing them to lose their airworthiness certificates. One helicopter had also been rendered inoperable due to a crash.