India Floats Tender for New Maritime Helicopters

[ejaz007]

India Floats Tender for New Maritime Helicopters
16-Sep-2008 11:52 EDT

“India’s Navy Holding Maritime Patrol Aircraft Competition” describes India’s growing naval sphere of influence, and the competition for an aircraft that would improve India’s coverage of those territories. A complementary way to improve that coverage is to upgrade the naval helicopters that base from ships or land locations. In September 2008, Flight International reported that India’s defence ministry has issued a tender for “advanced multirole naval helicopters” to several manufacturers around the world, including AgustaWestland, EADS and Sikorsky. Russia’s Kamov/Rosboronexport may well be on this list too; India’s Navy currently uses Kamov Ka-28, Ka-31 AEW, and AgustaWestland Sea King helicopters.

The initial RFP reportedly covers 16 helicopters, with a potential expansion to 60 helicopters. Each manufacturer has choices to make within its line up…

Picking the Contenders

“Defence ministry sources say the new aircraft will be equipped with potent anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare equipment including cruise missiles and torpedoes, and also be capable of being refuelled in flight. The type will operate from both naval vessels and land bases, they add.”

Each manufacturer has more than one helicopter that could fit this description.

Rosoboronexport/ Kamov can play the commonality and standardization cards, because India’s Navy already uses its Ka-28s and Ka-31 airborne early warning helicopters. On the other hand, it would appear to have the most limited set of options. The Ka-27 family remains its naval helicopter offering, though upgrades and partnerships may be possible in order to insert more advanced equipment.

AgustaWestland has several models it could offer. Its Super Lynx naval helicopter fits a wide range of naval vessels, and Britain’s Future Lynx project offers the prospect of more advanced technologies. At the high end, its EH101 medium-heavy helicopter is used in both naval and search-and-rescue roles.

Finally, AgustaWestland is a major shareholder in NHIndustries, whose NH90 NFH medium naval helicopter sits in between the Lynx and EH101.

EADS owns Eurocopter, the top shareholder in the NH90 consortium. Its own AS532 Super Puma/Cougar also serves with a number of navies, and a search and rescue variant exists. The more advanced EC 725 Cougar is also a potential option.

Sikorsky has several options of its own. India’s neighbor Thailand has already ordered the new MH-60S naval utility helicopter, and its counterpart the MH-60R would add potent anti-submarine and surface warfare capabilities, while sharing significant commonality. Indeed, Lockheed Martin’s bid for India’s maritime patrol aircraft competition reportedly included 16 MH-60Rs (est. cost: $350-400 million), alongside 8 of its P-3 aircraft.

As a third option, Canada has chosen Sikorsky’s larger H-92 Superhawk as the basis for its CH-148 Cyclone naval helicopter; deliveries are expected to begin soon.

India Floats Tender for New Maritime Helicopters

 

[Spring Onion]

Navy earmarks Rs 1,760cr for heavy-duty helicopters
22 Sep 2008, 0005 hrs IST, Rajat Pandit,TNN

NEW DELHI: After Army and IAF, it's now the turn of Navy to launch the hunt for its own specialised heavy-duty helicopters.

The defence ministry has floated a global tender for an initial 16 advanced naval multi-role (MR) helicopters, which are likely to be followed by another 44.

Each MR helicopter will cost as much as Rs 110 crore, virtually on par with a spanking new fighter jet, because of the sophisticated avionics, radars and armaments on board the 10-tonne platform which will be able to carry 15 combat-ready soldiers.

"The RFP (request for proposal), issued to companies like Agusta Westland, Sikorsky, EADS and the like, is for an initial lot of 16 MR helicopters," said an official. "The eventual requirement, however, is for around 60 such choppers. These MR helicopters will also have potent anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities, armed as they will be with cruise missiles and lightweight torpedoes. Capable of mid-air refuelling, they will operate from warships as well as the shore," he added.

The Navy is going in for five more Kamov-31 airborne early-warning (AEW) helicopters, worth a whopping Rs 275 crore each, to add to the nine such helicopters already inducted in 2003-2004.

Moreover, midlife upgrades of Navy's Ka-28 and Sea King helicopter fleets, for Rs 600 crore and Rs 850 crore, respectively, is also on the cards.

Incidentally, the Navy currently has around 40 MR and 25 ASW/AEW helicopters. All this activity on the naval helicopter front comes close after the defence ministry asked six foreign aviation majors to submit bids to supply 197 "light utility and observation" helicopters for Army and IAF, in a Rs 3,000 crore project, to service high-altitude areas like Siachen, among other roles.

Another 187 "light" helicopters will be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) by 2016-2017 to fulfil the overall requirement for 384 such helicopters for Army (259) and IAF (125) to replace the ageing Cheetah and Chetak fleets.

The armed forces are in the market for around 700 helicopters, with half of them to be acquired from foreign firms, over the next 10 years at a cost of Rs 17,000 crore. IAF has launched the hunt for 22 lethal attack copters to add to its feet of Mi-35 gunships.

But while these deals will take some time to fructify, two big helicopter deals are on the verge of being inked. These are the $1 billion deal for 80 Russian Mi-17 choppers and the deal for 12 VVIP copters, which will come with suites, much like the three Business Boeing Jets acquired for Rs 937 crore to ferry around the President and the PM.

Navy earmarks Rs 1,760cr for heavy-duty helicopters-India-The Times of India

 

[Gabbar]

Indian Navy to acquire an additional five Ka-31 early warning helos news

New Delhi: Sometime over the next couple of months India and Russia will sign another defence contract for the supply of five Russian Kamov-31 airborne early warning helicopters. The acquisition is aimed at bolstering the capabilities of the Indian Navy to detect airborne and surface-based maritime threats.

The proposal was cleared by the Cabinet Committee of Security (CCS) at a meeting on Tuesday, according to defence ministry officials.

The Ka-31's airborne electronic warfare radar, mounted on its underbelly, can track 30-40 surface and air targets simultaneously.

The navy already has a fleet of nine Ka-31 helicopters, which are deployed on India's only aircraft carrier INS Virat and the Talwar Class guided missile stealth frigates of the navy.

They also operate from the navy's shore-based air stations.

Kamov-31
The Indian Navy's first batch of four Ka-31's entered service in April 2003. The second batch of five was delivered in 2005.