THE HELICOPTER THAT CRASHED WITH REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT DR W.K. MUTALE NALUMANGO ON BOARD WAS NOT PURCHASED BY THE UPND IN 2024 BUT BY THE PF IN 2021
THE HELICOPTER THAT CRASHED WITH REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT DR W.K. MUTALE NALUMANGO ON BOARD WAS NOT PURCHASED BY THE UPND IN 2024 BUT BY THE PF IN 2021
By Shalala Oliver Sepiso
Emmanuel Mwamba has started to politicise the helicopter accident involving the Vice President. He is spreading propaganda that the purchase date of the Zambia Air Force helicopter, AF 717, that was involved in the accident of Vice President Mutale Nalumango in a takeoff accident in Nakonde today 9th July 2026, was in 2024 under the UPND government.
The truth is that the Zambia Air Force aircraft, with registration number AF 717, was purchased and arrived in Zambia in 2021.
The PF Administration, led by former President Edgar Lungu, initiated and negotiated the acquisition of the second-hand Bell 412SP fleet prior to the August 2021 general elections.
The Zambia Air Force formally completed the acquisition of the first two units in 2021. These first two aircraft of this package (including AF717) delivered in 2021, were delivered from Italy.
The arrival of those three Bell/Agusta-Bell 412SP helicopters (AF717, AF718, and AF720) in 2021 marked a major step in upgrading the Zambia Air Force’s utility fleet. The AF 717 served as a bridge for the ZAF fleet between its legacy Agusta-Bell 205 airframes and newer utility grants. It belongs to a broader lineage of Bell utility types that the Air Force has operated for decades.
The AF 7171 is a Bell/Agusta-Bell 412SP medium utility helicopter. The aircraft was acquired second-hand from sources in Italy and South Africa. The Zambia Air Force, AF 717, is a critical piece of the nation’s rotary-wing fleet with several notable operational and structural features.
The helicopter is typically configured to transport up to 13 to 15 passengers depending on the seating arrangement, operating with a two-person flight crew. It is built with a dual-engine setup utilizing Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T-3B Turbo Twin Pac engines, which provide enhanced reliability over rough terrain. The “SP” (Special Performance) designation means it features larger fuel capacity, a higher maximum takeoff weight, and upgraded rotor configurations compared to older baseline Bell 212 or 412 variants.
Unlike standard camo-painted tactical aircraft, AF 717 features a prominent white and blue livery, explicitly signaling its specialized role for transporting senior government officials, including the Vice President and state dignitaries.
Ba Mwamba kulibonesha ta (as the lenjes would say)….thats all he is…a Smart Alec who thinks spreading lies like a school boy in a play ground is so productive and fashionable…yet its a sign of immaturity and childishness. It takes away from Zambians focusing on being productive to infantile “back and forth”
