Aerospace Diary

by  Neelam Mathews   Dec 30, 2015 A summit meeting between Indian Prime Minister Modi and Russian President Putin confirmed the long-expected Ka-226 helicopter deal. (Photo: Indian Prime Minister’s Office) A visit to Russia by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 23 and 24 sealed an agreement between the two countries on helicopter engineering, including the  big Ka-226 deal  that has been under negotiation for over a year. It was one of 16 bilateral pacts that were signed, including ones covering space exploration and satellites and nuclear and solar energy. But they did not include an agreement for Russia to supply S-400 air defense systems, despite previous speculation in some media. Referring to the supply of approximately 200 Kamov Ka-226T helicopters, Sergei Chemov,  CEO  of the Russian state-owned industrial conglomerate Rostec, said: “This is the first Russian-Indian high-tech project implemented by the Indian governm...

ROTORHUB 26th November 2015 - 16:40 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  Aiming at more strategic tie-ups between OEMs and Indian manufacturers under its Make in India mantra, India’s Ministry of Defence is in the process of identifying a helicopter manufacturer to feed its voracious appetite for helicopters. The MoD has a need for some 1000 light utility helicopters (LUH) required by the military and parapublic forces within the next 15-20 years. Airbus Helicopters, AgustaWestland and Sikorsky are likely contenders for a possible tie-up.  An MoD official revealed to Shephard that Sikorsky was in discussion with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) for a potential joint venture, although for this to work HAL would ‘need to buckle up’. Sikorsky is understood to be in discussion for the manufacture of components for the  S-97 Raider , as it explores possible civil applications for the coaxial compound, such as transporting personnel between offshore oil pl...

by  Neelam Mathews  -  July 15, 2015, 7:36 AM Airbus Helicopters believes that the Fennec may still secure a portion of the Indian reconnaissance and surveillance helicopter (RSH) requirement. (Photo: Chris Pocock) Airbus Helicopters and Mahindra Defence Systems will create a joint venture to respond to India’s large potential requirements for military helicopters. The new partners said this will be the first private Indian helicopter manufacturer under the   “Make in India” initiative . They are eyeing three particular requirements that could amount to more than 600 helicopters, although in two of the three cases, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has already chosen alternative suppliers to meet part of the need. Mahindra is a vehicle and tractor maker with a defense business that supplies armored vehicles, radars and surveillance equipment to India’s armed forces. Its subsidiary Mahindra Aerospace recently bought GippsAero in Australi...

ROTORHUB 14th May 2015 - 16:22 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  India has opted for the Kamov  Ka-226T  for its long-running requirement for a reconnaissance helicopter, in an indication the Modi government is doing all it can to keep its geo-political relations intact. Following a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Committee (DAC) chaired by Minister of Defence Manohar Parrikar on 13 May, approval has been granted for the licensed-production of the Turbomeca Arrius 2G1-powered Ka-226T for the Army Aviation Corp and Indian Air Force.  In two previous cancelled bids  the Ka-226T  was a competitor for the reconnaissance/ surveillance helicopter requirement against the  Airbus Helicopters AS550 C3 . The project has ......xport .......more on Shephard media

ROTORHUB 03rd October 2014 - 13:48 by  Neelam Mathews  in New Delhi  Within a month of cancelling the 197 Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopters (RSH) tender, the new Indian government has released a request for information (RfI) for new helicopters. In a case of the Ministry of Defence not living up to its past that embodied a policy paralysis, the government aims to ‘urgently replace with modern design’ its present fleet of more than 200 ageing license-built  Chetaks  and Cheetahs. Responses are due by 11 November and the new RFP is expected to be released within seven months.  While the quantity has not been mentioned, it is likely to be around 300. It has been estimated that India alone will require around  .......Read more on Shephard Media

Neelam Mathews Oct 11, 2012 Aerospace Diary is hearing about talks between India’s Sun Group and Russian Helicopters for Ka-31 which Russian Helicopters says, is “the only mass-produced airborne early warning helicopter on the market.” We could not confirm whether the partnership is for potential manufacture for a possible pilot project to be floated exclusively for private Indian companies or as offsets for a possible potential order for 10 AEWs required for the delayed aircraft carrier Gorshkov , now known as Vikramaditya. Interestingly, we learn Shiv Vikram  Khemka, deputy chairman of the Board of Directors and founder of SUN Group, is an independent non-executive director on the Board of Russian Helicopters. Khemka has over  20 years experience doing business and investing in Russia, Latin America  and India. He has lived and worked in Moscow since 1990 managing the business of SUN Group. Khemka does not own any shares in Russian Helic...

News analysis Defence Helicopter By Neelam Mathews, New Delhi Bids for India’s 197-aircraft Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopter (RSH) requirement may be in jeopardy, as deferrals to the project have resulted in a cost increase of 45% since 2007, when proposals were first evaluated. The helicopters, which would have cost less than $700 million back then, are now valued at over $1 billion. If delayed by another year, this could go up by 4-5%. Rebidding and delaying the finalisation of contracts is not uncommon in India, where bureaucratic and procedural delays are the norm. This has been readily apparent in the RSH project for the Indian Army and air force, which was first issued in 2003 and then again in 2008. Now on its second iteration, RSH flight  rials were completed in 2010 by the two finalists – Russian Helicopters’ Kamov Ka-226T, powered by the Turbomeca Arrius 2G1, and the Eurocopt...

Neelam Mathews May 31, 2012 India is rightly earning the acronymn of “the master of delays.” The bid – the second time round after the first one in 2008- for procuring 197 light utility helicopters for the Indian Army and Air Force required the day before yesterday (!) though having cleared technical evaluation, is stuck at the staff evaluation stage for months, the clearance of which, keeps getting delayed, Aerospace Diary learns. 64 are for the IAF, and 133 are for the Army. The next stage will be for it to go through the technical oversight committee to ensure nothing is missed out to be followed by other clearances till the commercial bids are even opened. All this time wasted has many in the business speculating whether the government really wants to make a decision between the two contenders- Eurocopter’s AS550 C3 Fennec and the Kamov Ka-226- at all. With HAL developing the Light Utility Helicopter based on the single engined-ALH, and around 187 more light utility helico...