Coast Guard to finally get choppers it wanted post 26/11; Airbus emerges as lead Read more at: htt

[Zarvan]

Airbus Helicopters EC 725 Caracal (Super Cougar)
NEW DELHI: The coast guard is finally close to getting its own fleet of medium lift choppers, the requirement for which was raised after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks that exposed chinks in the surveillance and interception capabilities of the force.

While the coast guard currently operates ageing Chetaks as well as indigenous Advanced Light Choppers (ALH) for patrolling, search and rescue and casualty evacuation, it will be able to cover larger areas faster with the new fleet.

The Sikorsky S-92 is a four-bladed twin-engine medium-lift helicopter built by Sikorsky Aircraft for the civil and military helicopter market
Sources have told ET that Airbus as emerged as the lead bidder for a Rs 2000 crore coast guard competition to procure 14 helicopters. The EC 725 is learnt to have beat its competitor, Sikorsky's S 92 after commercial bids were opened earlier this month.

While initially, three competitors were bidding for the contract, Italian firm Finmeccanica was dropped in 2014 after it came under a corruption taint following the VVIP chopper deal scandal.

Officials said that whole both the EC 725 and S 92 managed to meet all the technical requirements of the coast guard after two years of extensive trials, the Airbus machine turned out to be cheaper.

Coast Guard to finally get choppers it wanted post 26/11; Airbus emerges as lead - The Economic Times