Ukraine will buy 55 helicopters from a division of Airbus to use for a wide range of missions that cover rescue, emergency medical evacuation and fire fighting.

According to the press service of Interior Ministry, on 23 March Ukraine signed a preliminary agreement with France to buy 55 helicopters.

The deal was announced during a visit to Kyiv by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who underlined French support for Ukraine in its standoff with Russia but also urged the authorities to do more to tackle corruption at home.

More: Ukraine’s Interior Ministry announces new helicopter service

Ukraine envisages the first delivery of helicopters this year, the Ukrainian interior ministry said in a statement. The order is for a mixture of Н145, Н125 and Н225 models.

More: Airbus Helicopters unveils mockup of new H160M military helicopter

The new helicopters will be used for traffic control, ground support, search and rescue, observation, air patrol and control of large-scale public events and/or public order incidents.