Germany will own NATO's 2nd largest helicopter fleet after Chinook purchase, air force chief says

PHOTO CAPTION: A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter is seen during pre-flight checks prior to a simulated night assault mission at Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, April 23, 2018. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Gregory T. Summers via U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will own NATO's second largest helicopter fleet with the 60 Chinooks it announced it was buying last month, German Air Force Chief Ingo Gerhartz was quoted as saying on Friday.

Last month, Reuters reported Germany would buy 60 Chinook helicopters from Boeing in a package that will cost up to 8 billion euros ($8.7 billion), including necessary infrastructure for the aircraft.

"We will be the second largest helicopter nation in NATO after the U.S.," Gerhartz was quoted as saying by RND media network.

Almost 50 Chinook helicopters would be stationed at the Holzdorf/Schoenewalde site in eastern Germany, where 1,000 additional soldiers will be also stationed, Gerhartz added.

"The Schoenewalde site will play a unique key role for the Air Force, the entire Bundeswehr and Germany's security," he said.



(Reporting by Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)