We can at the very least make standardized light scout-utility-fire support heli we easily need 500-600 of those. We can also easily make a nice western rival medium multi role helicopter like blackhawk we easily need 800-1000 of those for all 3 services, paramilitary, FC&Ranger air arms, marines, pmsa, sar, emergency services, police, govt duties.
Current situation is a complete mess. One force is using ecureil, some puma, some mi171, some lama.
Why not use common sense and standardize requirements of all forces and agencies and compress those needs i to light, medium, few heavy and attack categories???
My numbers estimates may be off but we can also make money off of the helis we make at home. Cause we have cheaper and readily available labor, budding talent, brainpower. Since our focus will be on making best bang for buck product. We can export to not so developed nations. Offering them affordable and credible platforms.
Your number estimates are certainly way off. 800-1000 helicopters needed ? and i though Zarvan had ridiculous estimates. Even if you put all types of transport helicopters together, 500 maximum.You need to look at the terrain of Pakistan also and its width in km's and deployment zones where transport helis are needed. Mostly in Northern areas, then in western theatre of war and at the coast, in terms of numbers.
FC and Rangers need to patrol on streets, roads and borders, they mostly need MRAP's. Their SF teams need heli transport and commanders need observation from air. Even if they are allotted 10-15 helis each, that's 4 provinces of FC and Rangers with 40-60 helicopters in total. Same goes for Police and other federal departments (ASF/ANF etc). Thats 40-60 helis total for police and Feds throughout the country.
PM is still very small, a division strength, and if 5-10 helis are allotted, they can operate independent from Navy.
PCS and MSA definitely need transport helicopters but looking at their strength and operations, not more than 10-15 helis for both forces, not each.
National Guard (Mujahid/Janbaz battalions) and GB scouts are dependent upon army and is deployed for defence purposes. When deployed in mountains, mules are used for transport and this needs to change. Understood that majority of places on mountains are hard to land and even take off after landing, still insertion by rappelling, supply dropping and med evac through sling are important aspects of transport. Rappelling may need specialised training but others are do able. The major requirements are:
1. Transport of cargo and troops in mountain regions
2. Current war in west. SSG and LCB's need constant Air assault capability, so far provided by Mi-17.
3. For air assault ops carried out by PA and for that a brigade level ops, PAA would need to provide 100-120 helicopters at least at a time, in war time only or otherwise during exercise.
The use of combined forces formation (infantry, armour, artillery, air assault, air support with gunship) at division level is not implemented on a major scale as yet. Look at ORBAT of any western military division whether armor or infantry, it will have dedicated helicopter squadrons (attack and transport) attached to it.
The current inventory is mixed because of the role they have to fulfill.
Light Category:
Fennec/Bell 206/Bell 407: Light transport, scout and armed support. 4 or 5 troops.
Lama: same specs, Bought for hi-altitude ops.Getting replaced
Alouette III: same specs, Getting replaced
Medium Category:
Bell 412: Medium transport. 13 troops (same carrying capacity as UH-60 Blackhawk)
Puma: Medium transport and cargo. 16 troops. May get replaced.
Mi-17: Medium transport but extensively used in role of heavy cargo transport with repeated sorties. 28 Troops.
Heavy category:
None.
There is nothing massively wrong with above stats, Puma will eventually get replaced. Mi-17 doesnt need to get airborne when 10-13 troops need to be air lifted, Bell 412 can be used. The choice of vendors can be improved, as its a mix-match of american, russian and european fleet, but the categories would still remain different.
Light type of helicopter can remain the same, but medium types will still be 2 types: one carrying troops between 10-16, other type carrying troops between 20-30.
Whats missing is a heavy type like CH-47, CH-53 and Mi-26. These are required to air lift howitzers in mountain terrain and transport cargo. A sight of such big machines in operation was seen in 2005 earthquake.
)
