US gives Philippines 11 second-hand "Hueys"

MANILA, May 2 (Reuters) Washington will give the Philippines 11 second-hand army ''Huey'' helicopters next week to help fight communist and Muslim rebels, the Philippine air force chief said today.

Lieutenant-General Horatio Tolentino said the 11 Vietnam War-era UH-1H helicopters were due to arrive from the United States on May 9 at a former US navy base in Subic.

''These aircraft were promised by US President Bush when he visited Manila in 2003,'' said Tolentino, who grounded all 41 operational UH-1H craft in the country last week after one crashed in the central Philippines on April 28, killing nine people and injuring two.

''Accidents could happen whether an aircraft is brand new or a refurbished.'' Tolentino said air force experts had ruled out engine trouble as the cause of the crash, outside an airbase on Mactan island, blaming nylon strings used in kite-flying.

The Philippines has 60 helicopters, mostly second-hand, donated by the United States as part of military assistance to fight Islamic militants in the south of the mainly Catholic state.

Tolentino said the UH-1H helicopters were the workhorse of the Philippine military, used in delivering supplies and troops and evacuating sick and wounded soldiers in combat.

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