GDF enhances reach, responsiveness, operational flexibility – Guyana Chronicle

–with commissioning of new Bell helicopters

IN a ceremony underscoring Guyana’s commitment to safeguarding its territorial integrity, Prime Minister Brigadier (retired) Mark Phillips emphasised the country’s sovereign responsibilities during the commissioning of the Bell 407 and Bell 429 helicopters into the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) fleet.
“Guyana is a sovereign state. With sovereignty comes responsibility,” the Prime Minister declared on Saturday. “The most solemn of these responsibilities is the obligation to safeguard our national sovereignty and to preserve, protect and defend our territorial integrity. This duty is an ongoing obligation. It is not simply a pledge or an aspiration, but must be backed by our willingness to invest in assets for our defence force.”

Highlighting the strategic importance of modernising the GDF, Prime Minister Phillips said, “Over the past five years, your government, a government that I am proud to be the Prime Minister of, has been deliberately and systematically investing and strengthening the aviation capabilities of the Guyana Defence Force.”
He added: “This forms part of a broader plan to recapitalise the force, enhance its assets and transform it into a more agile, responsive and capable institution. One fit for the demands of a modern Guyana.”
He outlined the defence priorities necessary to secure the nation, stressing, “These demands are not about bravado or belligerence but about vigilance, readiness and responsibility. Vigilance is the watchful eye of the nation, seeing threats before they arrive and denying them the space to grow.
“Readiness is the strength to act without hesitation because preparation has already done the hard work. And responsibility is power guided by principle, ensuring that force is always exercised in defence of peace, never against it,” he noted.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the operational versatility of the new helicopters. “These helicopters enhance our reach, expand our responsiveness and significantly improve our operational flexibility. They will support border patrols; surveillance missions; search-and-rescue operations; medical evacuations; disaster response and logistical support to hinterland and riverine communities.”
Phillips reinforced the importance of sustained investment, noting that over the past five years, the government had increased the budgetary allocation to the GDF by more than three and a half times. He added that the transformation in the force’s capital budget had been even more striking, having increased 20-fold.
“These matter, because capital investment is where modernisation lives. It is through capital investment that we acquire aircraft, vessels, vehicles, technology and infrastructure that fundamentally alter what a defence force can do.”
According to him, technology, training, and integration are central to the government’s vision for the GDF. “Technology is a force multiplier. Advanced aviation assets, surveillance systems, communication platforms and data-driven intelligence tools allow the force to see farther, respond faster and act with greater precision.”
Prime Minister Phillips emphasised that acquiring advanced equipment is only part of the solution. “But technology alone requires investing in training. This is why it is equally important that technology must be embedded from the bottom up if a truly modern force is to be built.”

Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier Omar Khan echoed the Prime Minister’s focus on national security and capability enhancement, noting the strategic value of the new aircraft.
“This morning, as the rotors turn and lift is generated, we are reminded that air power is not about altitude alone. It is about access, speed and decisive presence. What we commission here this morning is not simply flight capability, but the ability to arrive first, see farther, respond faster and protect more effectively.”
He described the commissioning as a deliberate step in modernising the GDF.
He stated: “This ceremony marks the deliberate elevation of the Guyana Defence Force’s operational envelope, where awareness is expanded, agility is accelerated and adaptability is tested and proven. Today, we do not merely unveil machines of metal and rotor.
“We commission with intent, we activate capability, and we affirm clearly and confidently that Guyana’s security architecture is not waiting for the future, we are engineering it.”
Brigadier Khan also highlighted the broader vision of the force,” he added. According to him, the induction of the Bell 429 and Bell 407 represents far more than an expansion of our aviation fleet.
Brigadier Khan noted: “It signals the steady transformation of the Guyana Defence Force into a technology-enabled, agile and mission-ready force capable of operating across our vast landmass, extended maritime space and complex air domain.”
Highlighting the link between national development and security, he said: “The sustained investment we see today reflects a clear understanding that national development and national security are inseparable. Infrastructure, energy, commerce and prosperity cannot thrive alone unless they are protected timely, decisively and professionally. These aircraft strengthen that protection.

Khan explained that the new helicopters enhance the GDF’s ability to conduct border surveillance, search and rescue, medical evacuations, disaster response, and joint inter-agency operations.
He added that they reduce response times, extend operational reach, and multiply options—advantages that a modern defence force must possess.
Khan expressed that as the helicopters take to the skies, they should serve as a symbol of a defence force that remains alert to its responsibilities, agile in its response, and adaptable to whatever challenges the future may bring. He emphasised that all members of the GDF must always stand ready to defend the nation’s sovereignty and protect its people.
Brigadier Khan concluded with a message of duty and professionalism: “These assets must be employed with professional excellence, strict discipline and uncompromising safety standards. Your conduct will determine not only operational success, but [also] public confidence in our defence force.”
The Bell 429, costing US$10.1 million, seats two crew and six passengers, carries 2,700 pounds, and can cruise at 150 knots, supporting surveillance, search and rescue, medical evacuation, and rapid response. The Bell 407, purchased for US$5.9 million, seats one crew and six passengers, carries 2,300 pounds, and reaches 133 knots, improving patrols, logistical support, and operations in remote areas.
Among those in attendance were Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, Deodat Indar; Minister of Finance, Dr Ashni Singh; National Security Adviser to the President, Gerald Gouveia and Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority, Lt Col (Ret’d) Egbert Field.