Congress approves helicopters for Colombia

The United States will provide Colombia with 18 UH-60L Blackhawk and 42 UH-1H Huey II helicopters, as well as support for another 15 UH-1N Huey helicopters, as part of a $1.3 billion counter-narcotics aid package approved by Congress at the close of June. The Colombia package was part of a larger $11.2 billion spending bill approved by the House of Representatives on June 29 and by the Senate a day later. President Bill Clinton welcomed passage of the bill and is expected to sign the legislation soon.

In January, the Clinton administration announced it would seek 30 Blackhawk and 33 Huey helicopters for Colombia, but the Senate subsequently endorsed shipping 60 of the cheaper …