Cobham has succeeded in winning a US$10 million lawsuit against the government of Trinidad and Tobago over a cancelled maintenance contract regarding AW-139 helicopters.
In 2017, the government of Trinidad and Tobago entered into a two year contract with Cobham for the maintenance of the country’s Air Guard’s four AW-139 helicopters but subsequently reduced it to one year and thereafter cancelled it, citing an inability to afford such a contract.
However, Trinidad’s High Court and Court of Appeal supported Cobham’s assertion that they had a valid contract and were entitled to payment.
The entire burden of the law-enforcement air support effort thus lies on the Air Division of the National Operations Fusion Centre of the Strategic Services Agency (SSA). The Air Division has on strength one AS.355, two Bo-105CBS-4, one S-76A++ and one S-76D on lease. Another AS.355 which was leased, has now been returned. However, this force is now down to two ageing Bo-105CBS-4 helicopters, of which only one is operational – the other being used as a spares source and a single AS.355F2.
The grounding of the Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard’s four AW-139 helicopters because of a reluctance to pay for their maintenance has thus left Trinidad’s national security apparatus with a total of two operational helicopters out of a potential total of nine machines.
Attempts to reinforce these assets with civilian helicopters from the National Helicopter Services Limited (NHSL) has proved to be less than successful following the loss of a new Eurocopter EC-135 in May 2019 during a law enforcement support operation.
