In the first ‘Make-in-India’ project in the Defence sector, India and Russia have signed an agreement to manufacture 200 Kamov-226T light utility helicopters to replace the ageing fleet of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters. Public sector Hindustan Aeronautics limited (HAl) will build these helicopters here in collaboration with Rostec State Corporation and the deal is worth over $1 billion (Rs 6,500 crore).
The deal figured during talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the summit meeting in Moscow last week. An agreement was signed in the presence of the two leaders between the two countries on co-operation in the field of helicopter manufacturing.
The pact said Rostec State Corporation will build not less than 200 Kamov helicopters in India and the agreement also provides for maintenance, operation and repair of helicopters.
Putin had offered to manufacture the Kamov helicopters as part of ‘Make-in-India’ initiative of the NDA Government during his visit to New Delhi last year. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, gave the go-ahead in May this year.
Stating that it is an inter-Governmental pact, sources said here on Tuesday that Russia selected HAl as its partner in this project.
While India will buy 20 helicopters off-the-shelf from the Russian manufacturer, the remaining 180 Kamovs will be built in HAl facilities in Bengaluru and Tumkur, they said.
The deal comes as a shot in the arm for the Army which is flying Cheetah and Chetak helicopters that are more than 40 years old. In fact, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its report tabled in Parliament last week had pulled up the Government for delaying the acquisition of latest helicopters.
At present, the Army has 181 of these helicopters, which are the lifeline of troops posted in Siachen glacier and inaccessible mountain terrain in Arunachal Pradesh and ladakh besides the North-East. The UPA Government had twice cancelled a deal for procurement of 197 helicopters to replace the existing fleet on grounds of irregularities in technical trials and price negotiations. The NDA Government finally cancelled the entire deal for 197 helicopters in August last year and decided to go in for the ‘Make in India’ option.
The officials said though the initial order is only for 200 helicopters, it is likely to be increased later on. It stems from the fact that the IAF, Navy and Coast Guard are also using Cheetahs and Chetaks and most of these machines are in the last phase of their operational life. The total number of the present fleet is more than 430 helicopters, including 181 flown by the Army.
“The agreement with India is the result of the long work with our Indian partners,” CEO of Rostec, Sergei Chemezov said in a statement. “The organization for the manufacture of helicopters is provided by the creation of a Russian-Indian joint venture in India, which includes holdings of Rostec-JSC Rosoboronexport and Russian Helicopters, and on the India side, the corporation HAl,” he said.
The light multipurpose twin-engine helicopter KA-226T is built on the scheme coaxial rotors and features excellent handling and installed power. KA-226T is equipped with modern navigation
equipment. It can easily manoeuvre in both, dense urban (between high-rise buildings) as well as non-urban environments (such as mountains). The absence of a tail rotor and compact dimensions allows the use of small airfields. Moreover, the helicopter has a low noise level and meets the latest environmental requirements. It has a replaceable transport module, which allows a short time to change the functionality of the helicopter.