Special flight training for Uruguayan Air Force pilots who will perform United Nations missions in Africa is to be provided by Erickson Incorporated.

Oregon-based Erickson said the helicopter pilot training, which will be conducted in the Spanish language, comes under a contract from Chilcott Inc., a Florida-based company, on behalf of the U.S. Southern Command.

The value of the contract was not disclosed.

"We are excited to support Chilcott, US Southern Command and the Uruguayan Air Force in this very important endeavor," said Erickson President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Roberts. "This contract fits into our core competency of providing full-range of aviation services for legacy aircraft. We see great value in sharing our expertise for flying in remote and challenging locations."

Erickson said that under the contract, its instructors are providing ground refresher training and more than 200 hours of supervised flight currency training on a Bell 412 helicopter at Erickson's facility in Oregon. The training will be completed before scheduled U.N. mission pilot rotations for the U.N. Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The stabilization mission is to help maintain the peace following a civil war in the former Belgian colony.