The Cabo Verde government has declared the acquisition of a Coast Guard aircraft a ‘highly damaging deal’ for the state, admitting it can no longer sustain the financial burden of operating the King Air 360R, whose engines are currently undergoing repairs abroad.
“The Coast Guard’s King Air 360R aircraft has been of great concern to the Ministry of Defence. I consider it a highly damaging deal for the state of Cabo Verde,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Manuel Amante da Rosa, speaking during the State of the Nation debate.
According to the minister, the aircraft was purchased by the previous government of the Movimento para a Democracia (MpD) for approximately €19.1 million — an investment he described as excessive for a country with limited resources.
Manuel Amante da Rosa said the state continues to pay around €1.7 million in service contracts to keep the aircraft operational, even though both original engines are being repaired — one in Canada and the other in South Africa.
“We cannot continue to bear these financial charges. The solution is to return the leased engines,” he said. The minister added that the government is also covering the costs of temporary replacement engines, whose contracted operating hours have already been exhausted.
The aircraft arrived in Cabo Verde on 11 April 2025. At the time, the previous government stated the equipment would strengthen surveillance of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), combat drug trafficking and piracy, and support medical evacuations between islands.
Built in the United States, the aircraft is equipped for aerial and coastal surveillance missions, search and rescue operations, and inter-island medical transport.
The contract was signed with US manufacturer Textron Aviation in March 2023 at a cost of €11.2 million, including spare parts and technical assistance.
On 17 April, an incident occurred during the King Air 360ER’s first emergency medical mission, between the islands of Boa Vista and Santiago, after the aircraft sustained propeller damage upon landing.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/08/03/mundo/africa/cabo-verde-governo-considera-aquisicao-de-aeronave-da-guarda-costeira-um-negocio-muito-lesivo/
