By Gulshan Luthra and Air Marshal (retd) Ashok Goel, IANS
New Delhi : The Indian Air Force (IAF) will buy a large number of Eurocopter Fennec AS 550 C3 helicopters to replace its ageing fleet of Chetak and Cheetah helicopters.
This was indicated by Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major in an interview here with India Strategic. He did not name the make of the helicopter, but as the Indian Army has already chosen the Eurocopter over Bell 407 this year it is apparently going to be the same machine for the IAF as well as the Indian Navy and Coast Guard.
It may be noted that former defence secretary Shekhar Dutt, who introduced the offsets concept in defence procurement, has also ensured that the three services and Coast Guard go in for the same system if their required specifications are the same or nearly the same.
Earlier, each service could buy a system from the same manufacturer individually under different contracts. Now, the overall requirement is negotiated and options are kept.
The air chief said the IAF was working on acquiring various types of helicopters for different roles, from combat to light to medium and heavy lift machines, and that it would take about 10 years to complete their acquisition programme.
Like the combat jets, most of the helicopters with IAF are also nearly 20 or more than 20 years old, and need upgradation or replacement.
“IAF’s requirement of helicopters will be met by induction of additional helicopters for various roles in a phased manner during the next two five-year plan periods. This will offset the force-depletion due to phase-outs,” he said.
Air Chief Marshal Major indicated that the Request for Proposals (RfP or tender) for the heavy lift machines would be floated in the next fiscal year beginning April to “who ever makes them”.
There is an initial, and immediate, requirement of about a dozen heavy lift helicopters and the machines should be inducted after thorough technical trials and examination of financial details as per the DPP 2006, possibly within three years after that.
Boeing’s Chinook CH 47 is the only 20-tonne helicopter available today. The US company had displayed this massive twin-rotor machine at the Aero India 2007 at Bangalore to demonstrate its capabilities. A formal presentation was also made recently at the Air Headquarters, which does periodic exercises to update its international information base as a matter of routine.
IAF has executed major relief missions admirably during calamities like tsunami and snowstorms but it is hampered badly by the lack of heavy lift helicopters that can carry substantial load on the one hand and withstand the mountain drafts on the other.
It had acquired a small number of Mi 26 heavy lift helicopters from the Soviet Union in the 1980s, but their manufacture was stopped in the disintegration process of that country. There is a big problem now in their maintenance as no spares are available.
IAF pilots swear by the reliability of the eight-rotor Mi 26 helicopters though, the biggest ever in the world but, of course, Russia does not make them any more, times have changed and technology has improved towards digital systems for optimised performance.
The air chief said that “as the helicopter is a versatile machine and has multi-role capability during peace and war”, IAF’s operational philosophy gives due emphasis on what is required and in how many numbers.
IAF also needs combat helicopters to replace and augment its fleet of Mi 25s and the air chief said that due attention was being given to this aspect also.
IAF is very keen to acquire helicopters with high-altitude (25,000 feet-plus) capability but they are not available in the global market. India’s requirements are typical due to the tough terrain in the Himalayan heights and HAL has promised to design and deliver them within 10 years.
But for routine combat operations, Boeing has offered its famed Apache AH 64 and Eurocopter, its Tigre (Tiger in English) EC 665.
The Apache offer was disclosed only last week in New Delhi by Boeing’s visiting Vice President and General Manager for Rotorcraft Systems Chuck Allen.
Both these helicopters make extensive use of reinforced carbon composite materials, kevlar and titanium. Their service ceiling is around 16,000 feet.
As for the Eurocopter Fennec, it would replace the nearly 400 Alouettes and Lamas (designated Chetak and Cheetah) currently in operation with the Indian armed forces as well as private organisations. But eventually, as the assembly and progressive manufacture of the aircraft is done at HAL, around 600 of these machines could be made in India, depending upon the price and required rate of production.
Fennec also makes substantial use of composite materials, in body, rotor and rotor blades and tail rotor. These materials are described by the company as “rugged, low cost, efficient and corrosion-free.”
Indications at the recent Paris Air Show were that Safran, which makes the helicopter’s Turbomeca Arrius engine, will further fine-tune the system for better performance. The engine has Full-Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) for optimised performance.
(Gulshan Luthra and Air Marshal Ashok Goel (Retd) can be contacted at [email protected])