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[jurrien visser]

India set to order 59 more Russian copters

 NEW DELHI: Indian armed forces were again pressing the throttle to achieve their aim of inducting around 900 helicopters in the coming decade, Indian media reported on Sunday.

The "rotary birds" in the pipeline include 384 light-utility and observation, 139 medium-lift, 90 naval multi-role, 65 light combat, 22 heavy-duty attack, 15 heavy-lift, 12 VVIP, five maritime early-warning and 86 Dhruv advanced light helicopters.

While contracts for some of these helicopters are being executed after being inked earlier, like the Rs 3,726 crore-deal for the dozen AW-101 three-engine choppers to ferry VVIPs, others are still in the planning stage.

Indian armed forces want all the projects to get going at the earliest to plug operational gaps and replace ageing fleets. IAF, for instance, is moving towards finalizing a second contract with Russia for another 59 Mi-17-V5 helicopters after the phased delivery of the first 80 of these medium-lift "rotary birds" began in September.

"Of the 80 Mi-17s ordered under the $1.34-billion deal in 2008, the first squadron has come up in Bhatinda. Indian Air Force will get 26 of these choppers by end-December, with the second squadron coming up in Srinagar by March. All the 80 will be inducted by 2014," said a senior official.

"The 59 more Mi-17s, which will cost around $1 billion, will be ordered under the follow-on clause in the first contract. They will also be weaponized for combat operations like the first 80. The new Mi-17s will also make it possible for IAF to deploy additional choppers for logistical support in anti-Naxal operations," he added.

Indian navy, too, is keen to kick-start the induction of 90 multi-role helicopters (MRHs), with both combat and search-and-rescue capabilities, to replace the older Sea King helicopters and meet the requirements of a growing maritime force.

At present, the field trial evaluation report of European NH-90 and American Sikorsky-70B helicopters is being examined for the first over Rs 2,000 crore contract of 16 MRHs. "For the second contract for 75 MRH, the initial proposals of five aviation majors are being studied," said an official.

Boeing is set to bag the $1.4-billion contract to supply 22 missile-armed gunships after its AH-64D Apache Longbow did much better ppearing in the region for the first time are Pakistan Air force s JF17 Thunder fighter, the Bell/Boeing V-22 Osprey which can take off and land like a helicopter and fly like an airplane, the Apache MH-60 helicopter, as well as AAI s Shadow 200 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

The daily flying demonstration will also display a full complement of both civil and military aircraft, including the Eurofighter Typhoon, Boeing s F18 Super Hornet and Dassault s Rafale fighter.

Reflecting the 40th anniversary of the UAE, the flying display will open with the country s own aerobatic team, Al Fursan, which will fly Alenia Aermacchi aircraft.

http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=185763