Colombian city aims to produce parts of Black Hawks

Manufacturers in Dosquebradas, a city in eastern Colombia, are producing parts and spare parts for military aircraft, including the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, competing in a market traditionally dominated by U.S. and European contractors.

Three years ago, the Dosquebradas Chamber of Commerce created an aeronautics cluster that now has contracts with the Colombian Air Force and is looking to expand into the civilian aviation market.

With some 200,000 residents, Dosquebradas is the second-largest city in Risaralda province, and "it has a strong technological capacity to produce parts for aircraft," John Jaime Jiménez, chairman of the chamber, said.

Source: Efe