Two Killed After Kenyan Military Helicopter Recently Acquired from the US Crashes

Two pilots were killed after a Kenyan military helicopter crashed in Masinga, Machakos County on Monday.

The chopper with registration number AU003-539 went down at a farm in Kithyoko at around 11 am, killing the two occupants on the spot.

The Defense Ministry in a brief statement sent to the newsrooms said the occupants were on a training flight when it crashed.

“This was a training flight. Onboard were two pilots who have been evacuated from the crash site,” the statement read.

The cause of the crash was not immediately established. The helicopter is among the six US-made light-attack aircraft gunships acquired by Kenya in January this year.

The six choppers were purchased through the US Foreign Military Sales program and were part of an initial order of 12 light attack aircraft meant to boost Kenya’s war against Somali-based Al-Shabaab militants.

The US State Department approved the sale of 12 MD-530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters to Kenya in 2017 for Sh25 billion.

The planes are made by MD Helicopters, an American aerospace manufacturer based in Arizona.