IAF combat and heavy-lift chopper trials to begin by July
Boeing pitches in with Apache Block III and Chinook
Philadephia. The Indian Air Force (IAF) seems set for trials of new combat and heavy lift helicopters this summer, possibly from June or July, and Boeing is getting ready to field its latest versions of AH 64D Apache and Chinook CH 47F helicopters.
So confident is Boeing that its top executives say that Boeing is looking forward to be the first in the trials so as to set benchmarks that others in the competition cannot possibly match.
The US spends so much in Research & Development (R&D) that “our products are unbeatable in hi-tech and precision engagement,” said Mr Dean Millsap, Regional Director Asia Pacific for Boeing Rotorcraft Systems. The heavy lift Chinook for instance is the only helicopter that can land on water in an emergency, and also operate just above the water level to land or evacuate troops or people in a natural disaster situation.
IAF is looking for 22 Attack and 15 Heavy Lift helicopters as replacement for its Soviet vintage Mi 35 Attack and Mi 26 Heavy Lift machines which have served well but are too old now either to carry on or bear the burden of modern technology. The RfP for the two new aircraft was issued last year and besides Boeing, Russia’s Rosobronexport has offered newer versions of Mi 35 and Mi 26.
Italy’s Finmeccanica, which owns AgustaWestland now, has offered the Mangusta attack helicopter, currently in service with the Italian Army. AgustaWestland has already won the IAF’s order for 12 VIP helicopters.
As in case of the combat jets for the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (M-MRCAs), trials for which have just been over, field trials for both the new helicopters would be held in hot and humid weather in the deserts of Rajasthan and heights of the Himalayas, Jaisalmer and Leh included.
The Indian Army and Air Force are already holding trials for the utility helicopters in these regions, which are required in large numbers from imported and indigenous production kits. There is no Transfer of Technology (ToT) clause though for manufacturing the Attack and Heavy Lift helicopters in India.
Notably, IAF’s Mi 35s have been upgraded over the last few years with Israeli night-fighting capabilities, but the airframes are too old for any more technology insertions. IAF had acquired half a dozen Mi 26 choppers for ferrying supplies to the Himalayas but hardly a couple of them are now able to fly, one problem being the lack of spares as its manufactring facilities have closed down after the disintegration of the Soviet Union 20 years back.
Mi 26 is a huge machine though, equivalent to an An-12 aircraft that the IAF once used to fly. This writer had seen one of them sometime back at a forward air base.
But says Millsap: No helicopter can match the stability of the Chinook, whose contra-rotating twin-rotors withstand rough weather in land, mountains and sea. In Afghanistan, where the US and NATO forces are fighting the Al Qaida and Taliban terrorists, Chinooks maintain a steady supply to the troops while the Apaches give them cover if required in a battlezone.
Adds Dr Vivek Lall, Vice President and India country head for Boeing Defense and Space (BDS): “The Apache will be a capable and lethal defender of India’s troops and assets, while the Chinook will answer many of the Indian military and humanitarian requirements.”
While Mr Millsap briefed a visiting Indian media group, invited by Boeing, on the capabilities of the AH 64D Block III, which is still under development, other company executives, Mr Jack Dougherty and Mr Mark Bellow highlighted the capabilities of the Chinook with its graphic footage from the troubled Afghan mountains.
The first Block III Apache would be delivered to the US Army in 2011, and to the IAF within three years – or less – of the signing of an agreement. India is looking for futuristic aircraft with periodic upgrade capability.
They said that the two rotorcraft more than met the IAF’s RfP requirements, but would not share details as the RfP prohibited that. IAF will get the technology that it wants under a government-togovernment Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme.
The AH 64D has one version with a highly sophisticated radar, the Longbow, for improved target detection, increased situational awareness , survivability and connectivity even with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The combatproven AH-64D Apache Longbow, now being used by the US Army in Afghanistan, is the newest version of the machine.
Mr Dougherty, Vice President and Programme Manager for Boeing Rotorfraft, said that the Apache and Chinook had “a brotherly relationship” to support a war effort. Apache is routinely deployed to protect Chinooks, C 17 Globemaster transporters and other aircraft in low-flying and landing/ takeoff situations.
The Chinook has a multi-spectrum capability for combat assault, beach and aircraft carrier landings, medical evacuation, and even VIP transport. Chinooks have been flown to a height of 16000 feet in Alaska. The requirement for more has not arisen yet. In Afghanistan, US Army has carried as many as 75 fully loaded troops although it was conceived for only 33.
As for the Apache, Mr Millsap pointed out that it was the only combat helicopter in the world with night vision devices for both the pilots, with the capability for switchover roles. It is equipped with multi sensors, electrooptical, infra red and others as well as a 30mm cannon with 3500metre range. Its onboard computers autotarget, calculating the speeds of bullets as well as any target that it seeks to destroy.
There are also the Lockheed Martin Hellfire missiles on board, which are being used by US drones to kill specific terrorist targets in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
© India Strategic
