The Hindu : International / India & World : India plans to buy 80 Mi-17 copters

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Wednesday, Jul 12, 2006

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International - India & World

India plans to buy 80 Mi-17 copters

Vladimir Radyuhin

Deal, estimated between $400 million and $500 million, by yearend

MOSCOW: India plans to buy a large batch of Russian military transport helicopters, Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi was quoted as telling a Russian magazine.

"We are planning to order 80 Mi-17 helicopters," the Air Chief said in an interview to the Eksport Vooruzheniy (Export of Armaments).

Russian industry sources told the Kommersant daily that the deal, estimated between $400 million and $500 million, may be signed by the yearend, and the first helicopters would be shipped in 2007.

India has purchased about 400 Russian helicopters, mainly of the Mi-17 and Mi-8 series.

According to Kommersant, Russia's arms export monopoly Rosoboronexport planned to finalise the deal in 2005 but talks dragged on, as India insisted on a swap arrangement to sell 20 Dhruv helicopters to Russia. The paper said the Indo-Russian Intergovernment Commission for Military-Technical cooperation endorsed the arrangement but the Russian side had problems finding a potential customer for the Indian helicopters.

A government source said the Russian Air Force would have no use for Dhruv, except for civilian purposes.

said Dhruv was unlikely to find a buyer in Russia because of its high price and the absence of service facilities in this country.

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