NEW DELHI, Jan 30 (Bernama) — Close on the heels of floating the biggest ever tender for purchase of 126 multi-role combat aircraft, the government Tuesday said another mega tender was being unrolled for the purchase of 317 helicopters for Army and Air Force, whose cost could run up to US$2.5 billion, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
“A major combined tender would soon be floated for purchase of helicopters for Army and Air Force to replace their ageing fleet of Chetaks and Cheetahs,” Defence Minister A.K. Antony told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
The new request for proposals (RFP) would be in place for the Army tender for 197 helicopters which was cancelled a few weeks ago after a vendor, Eurocopter of European Aviation giant EADS, had almost been called for price negotiations.
Antony said, under the new combined tender, 197 choppers would be acquired for the Army and 120 for the Air Force.
“The requirements of the two services were similar, so we proposed to float a single tender,” he said, apparently hinting that it could be a single window purchase order.
The tender for helicopters would be the second largest international military tender to be floated by India following an estimated US$10 billion RFP for 126 fighters to be acquired.
He indicated that the offset percentage in the deal would also be announced along with the tender.
In the earlier instance of 126 fighters, the government had fixed 50 percent offsets linked to the deal though the new Defence procurement procedure manual 2006 only makes it mandatory to have 30 percent offsets.
Along with Eurocopter, which has expressed its readiness to rebid for the tender, other firms expected to participate in the bid would include American aviation giant Textron Corporation, makers of the Bell helicopters, Italian Augusta Westland and firms from Russia and others.
Acknowledging the needs of Army and Air Force, the purchase of helicopters was “urgent”, the minister, who was speaking after giving away the prizes for technological inventions to personnel from the defence PSUs, said adding, the process of purchase could be taken up on fast-track basis.
Army as well as Air Force is currently using Chetak and Cheetah helicopters for critical operational flying in world’s highest battlefield of Siachen and other Himalayan snowy terrain.
These helicopters were inducted in the 1960s and most of them have outlived their flying ceiling.
However, as a stop gap measure, some of these helicopters have been upgraded at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. with the help of Orjunal Equipment Manufacturers.