Members of the U.S. Army Security Assistance Training Command’s (USASAC) Security Assistance Training Management Organization (SATMO) attended a ceremony Jan. 16 as the Albanian Defence Ministry celebrated the delivery of two UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters at Rinas Airport near Tirana.

The Albanian government acquired the aircraft with help from the European Recapitalization Incentive Program (ERIP), a fund setup by the State Department in 2018 to assist with replacement of Russian equipment in Europe.

According to Kelsey Simmons, Program Executive Office Aviation Security Assistance Management Directorate (SAMD) International Program Manager, the $54 million package includes the two Black Hawks, three General Electric T700 engines and spare parts, various hardware and software, and training to include a two-year in-country contract with SATMO with an option to extend.

SATMO’s Lt. Col. Camden Jordan, commander of the 3rd Regional Security Assistance Command; Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jason Rayburn; and a team of contractors are in-country alongside Albanian airmen to establish the foundations of a fully operational Black Hawk program.

“The event on the 16th was an opportunity to show the public the new, advanced equipment and the commitment to buying Western equipment,” said Jordan. “Now, our work begins.”

Training is expected to begin in February and will be conducted by five contractors, all prior Army pilots, mechanics, and crew chiefs with extensive experience. They will instruct on all facets of aviation, from maintenance to day-to-day flight operations.

“We’ll work to incorporate doctrine and standard operating procedures until it’s second nature to them, instilling institutional knowledge to maintain operational capability of keeping those helicopters in the air,” said Jordan.

The aircraft will increase the Albanian Air Force’s capabilities in search and rescue, medical evacuation and other mission sets, as well as support NATO’s logistical movements for operations and training according to the U.S. Embassy in Tirana.

Jordan described Albania as exciting and said he’s looking forward to supporting through SATMO’s mission, bolstering critical capability in the highly contested Balkan region.

“I think getting up on that stage with NATO and the EU showed that, though it’s a country of a little over two million people, they’re here and they’re fully committed to interoperability with NATO forces, especially in this area where Russian competition is very high,” he said. “There’s excitement on all sides for future cooperation with them.”