The Ministry of Defense presented this Wednesday the ‘Papacopter‘, a helicopter Mi-17 of the Peruvian Air Force (FAP) that will be in charge of transferring to the Pope Leo XIV during his visit to the country, scheduled from November 11 to 16, which will include trips to Andean towns located at more than 2,000 meters of altitude.
The Ministry of Defense presented this Wednesday the ‘Papacopter‘, a helicopter Mi-17 of the Peruvian Air Force (FAP) that will be in charge of transferring to the Pope Leo XIV during his visit to the country, scheduled from November 11 to 16, which will include trips to Andean towns located at more than 2,000 meters of altitude.
The operation will have three other Mi-17 helicopters, with the capacity to transport up to 24 people or four tons of cargo. These aircraft have a flight range of up to 3.5 hours and have night vision equipment to carry out operations in these conditions.
Two medium helicopters will also be included, Bell 212 and Bell 412enabled for aeromedical evacuations and the transfer of patients on stretchers to hospitals and clinics that have heliports.
In addition to their crews, these aircraft will have paramedics and aeronautical doctors, according to the Ministry of Defense. The deployment also includes a Beechcraft King Air 360C ambulance planeequipped and pressurized to transport critically ill patients on a stretcher or incubator.
The Defense portfolio indicated that the aircraft destined for the pontiff’s trip have gone through conditioning processes and technical and mechanical reviews to guarantee that they are in optimal operating conditions.
According to the planned agenda, Leo The same aircraft will cover the return journey.
The helicopters will also facilitate internal travel in Lima and Cusco, a city located more than 3,000 meters above sea level.
The FAP will also maintain the Bell 212 and Bell 412 helicopters available during the mass scheduled for November 16 in the Las Palmas Air Basein the Lima district of Santiago de Surco, to attend to any medical emergencies involving the pope, his entourage or those attending the ceremony.
Leo XIV will visit Peru, a country where he carried out his pastoral work for more than 20 years before being elected pontiff.
