The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine has received a unique medevac helicopter — the Sikorsky S-76A — thanks to a generous initiative from Canadian partners. The aircraft was delivered from Canada as part of a charitable collaboration between Helijet International, the Maple Hope Foundation, and the Ukrainian World Congress.
The helicopter is worth between 1 and 2 million Canadian dollars. It is the first helicopter of this type in Ukraine and was officially delivered on April 15, 2025.
Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, expressed his gratitude for this important addition to the agency's life-saving capabilities.
The president of Helijet, Danny Sitnam, personally traveled to Ukraine to hand over the helicopter to the intelligence service.
At the start of russia's full-scale invasion, Sitnam's family took in a Ukrainian refugee family with a seven-month-old baby, offering them shelter until they could settle in Vancouver. Since then, he and his company have actively supported Ukraine, working closely with charitable groups like the Maple Hope Foundation.
Danny Sitnam is also a professional helicopter pilot with over 35 years of flying experience. While in Kyiv, he visited the Igor Sikorsky Museum, paying tribute to the legendary Ukrainian-born aviation pioneer whose name the helicopter proudly bears.
Svitlana Kominko, Executive Director of the Maple Hope Foundation, shared that the organization raised over CAD 100,000 in just three weeks to cover the transport of the helicopter to Ukraine.
The helicopter can carry four medical personnel and one critically injured patient. It's equipped with advanced life-support systems, including defibrillators, ventilators, and a complete set of medical tools to allow doctors to operate during transport. It is all-weather capable and can carry out medevac missions day or night.
The commander of the DIU aviation unit, call sign Maestro, revealed that a specialized aerial medical evacuation division has been established within the agency. It includes elite combat medics trained to provide high-level care under extreme conditions.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to all the donors, partners, and supporters who contributed to this initiative and reinforced Ukraine's intelligence capabilities with this life-saving asset.