Peru Pays US$1.66 Million to Keep 9 Black Hawks Flying

Peru authorized a transfer of up to S/5,700,001, worth about US$1.66 million, to the US government. The payment covers maintenance for nine UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters used in police anti-drug flights. It matters because Peru is gradually taking over the fleet’s running costs from Washington.

This is Peru’s second payment for year two of a five-year transition. An earlier transfer covered US$2,335,766.42. The newly authorized amount covers the remaining US$1,664,233.58, bringing Peru’s year-two contribution to about US$4 million. The money comes from the National Police aviation directorate’s budget.

The funds are restricted to air support for drug interdiction operations. Peru’s 2026 budget law allows transfers of up to S/16 million for this purpose, so the two approved payments remain below that ceiling. The resolution does not identify the maintenance contractor.

The fleet includes nine UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters donated by the United States for police anti-drug flights. Their maintenance contract has a baseline annual cost of US$20 million. That large bill explains why the donation is paired with a multi-year plan for Peru to assume more financial responsibility.

In the second transition year, Peru’s share is 20%, or US$4 million. The two 2026 payments total about S/13.7 million, matching that contribution. The US government covers the remaining US$16 million against the stated US$20 million baseline. The money is transferred to the US government, not directly to a named contractor.

The bill does not stay fixed for Peru. Its share rises to US$6 million in year three, US$8 million in year four, and US$12 million in year five. After the transition, Peru is expected to pay all maintenance costs if aircraft title passes to Lima.

The UH-60 Black Hawk is a helicopter built by Sikorsky, which the article identifies as a Lockheed Martin unit. The type flies with the US Army and allied forces. In Peru, nine donated Black Hawks support police aviation rather than ordinary transport described in the resolution.

Their assigned purpose is anti-drug work. The helicopters conduct police anti-drug flights and provide air support for drug interdiction operations. The resolution places the maintenance money inside a state program aimed at reducing illegal drug trafficking, and it bars the funds from other uses.

Using aircraft gives Peru an air capability for these operations while the country develops a self-sustaining system. Under the donation agreement, Peru gradually assumes management, operational, staffing, and financial duties. The agreement entered into force on 15 November 2024, beginning the transition described in the resolution.

Peru’s maintenance contribution grows through a five-year transition designed to create a self-sustaining Peruvian air capability. The change shifts more of the fleet’s financial burden from the US government to Peru’s treasury. It also reflects Peru taking on broader management, operational, staffing, and financial duties.

The schedule begins with a 20% share in year two, equal to US$4 million of the US$20 million annual baseline. Peru’s share then reaches 30%, or US$6 million, in year three. It rises to 40%, or US$8 million, in year four, and 60%, or US$12 million, in year five.

After the transition ends, Peru is expected to pay all maintenance costs if title to the aircraft passes to it. The article reports that Congress will consider the 2027 budget by 30 November, showing whether Lima funds the third-year contribution.

Peru’s Congress is due to approve the 2027 budget by 30 November. That budget will show whether Lima includes funding for the third year of the five-year transition. The required third-year contribution is 30% of the US$20 million baseline, or US$6 million.

If the payment is not included, Peru would not have the budget allocation described for its third-year share. The article does not state whether that would suspend flights, breach the agreement, trigger a penalty, or produce another specific consequence. It only identifies the budget decision as the next point to watch.

The omission would therefore signal uncertainty about Peru’s planned cost transfer, but the source does not establish what happens afterward. The agreement’s broader direction remains clear: Peru is scheduled to assume increasingly larger financial duties, reaching 60% in year five and all maintenance afterward if title passes.

The donation supports Peru’s police anti-drug flights while the two governments work toward a self-sustaining Peruvian air capability. The agreement gives Peru access to nine Black Hawks and sets a timetable for transferring more responsibility. That combines immediate operational support with a longer-term shift in financial duties.

Under the agreement, Peru gradually assumes management, operational, staffing, and financial responsibilities. The annual maintenance baseline is US$20 million. Peru pays 20% in year two, while the US government covers the rest under that baseline. The Peruvian share increases each later year.

This arrangement also advances a broader counternarcotics policy described in the article: partner countries carry more of the cost. By year five, Peru’s share reaches US$12 million, or 60%. After the transition, Lima pays all maintenance costs if ownership of the aircraft passes to Peru. The article does not give a more specific reason for the original donation.

Drug interdiction is the effort to prevent, detect, and disrupt illegal drug trafficking. In this article, Peru’s police use Black Hawks for anti-drug flights and air support connected to that mission. The aircraft are therefore part of a wider state program to reduce illegal drug trafficking.

Aircraft can help governments cover large areas, support operations from the air, and move personnel or equipment where needed. The source specifically establishes their role as air support for drug interdiction operations. It does not describe particular missions, routes, seizures, or tactics carried out by the helicopters.

Peru’s donation agreement is built around maintaining that capability during a five-year transition. The United States initially carries most of the US$20 million annual maintenance baseline, while Peru’s share grows from 20% in year two to 60% in year five. The planned endpoint is a self-sustaining Peruvian air capability.