The Hindu : National : India going ahead with new bid for rotary wing aircraft

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 27, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

National

National

India going ahead with new bid for rotary wing aircraft

Ravi Sharma

Deal provides for 197 modern machines for the Army

BANGALORE: Notwithstanding France’s protests, including a demarche over the cancellation of the $600-million helicopter tender that was won by a consortium led by French interests, India is going ahead with a fresh tender for the rotary wing aircraft.

The main contenders for the deal that will not only see the Army acquire 197 modern machines but could also result in the Air Force and Navy receiving a few, have submitted the information sought by the Defence Ministry.

Sources told The Hindu that the Eurocopter — a division of the Franco-Italian-German European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) — which won the earlier tender, Bell Helicopter, Italy’s Augusta and Russia’s Kazan Helicopters and Kamov had all replied to the global request for information (RFI).

The RFI is the start of an evaluation process that could at the very least take around two to three years before a helicopter is chosen.

Though officials from Bell and Eurocopter confirmed that they had sent in the requisite information, they refused to specify which helicopter they would be offering.

The Army Aviation is eagerly looking forward to acquiring these helicopters, which will replace the French origin Cheetahs and Chetaks that have been in service for 40 years.

They will be used for reconnaissance and dropping supplies to soldiers manning posts at extremely high altitudes.

Monitoring panel

The Defence Ministry has formed a three-member monitoring committee, consisting of the Deputy Chief of the Army Staff, an additional secretary in the Ministry and a representative from the user (Army Aviation), which will oversee the entire evaluation process.

Though the RFI does not specify the exact number of machines that India would like to acquire, more than a third are expected to be built under a transfer of technology agreement at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

An official said that once the paper evaluation of the models offered was over, winter and summer trials would take place. While winter trials could take place during the end of 2008, summer trials would have to wait till 2009.

Kouchner “not satisfied”

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner had declared during a visit to New Delhi that he was “not satisfied” with the collapse of the deal.

With French President Nicolas Sarkozy making the signing of large contracts a major component of his foreign trips the inking of the helicopter deal was supposed to have been one of the highlights during his visit to India.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National