2015-03-03



Austrian Alouette-III
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How safe are the Indian Army’s aging fleets of Chetaks (Aerospatiale SA316 Alouette III) and Cheetahs (SA315B Alouette II/III mix)? These old designs have consistently proven themselves in high altitude operations, and remain useful as long as their airframes remain safe. The problem is that at their age, the safety margin is pretty slim. Or worse.

In 2003, India issued an RFP for 197 light helicopters estimating a deal worth between $500-$600 million to buy 60 helicopters outright, with the remaining 137 being built under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Eurocopter’s AS550 C3 Fennec and Bell Textron’s 407 competed in the second and final round of summer trials, and as 2007 ticked toward a close, it looked like we had a winner. As often happens in India, however, the process ended up completely derailed. A new RFP out for a successor “Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopter program” (RSH) went out in 2008, and testing was done in 2010. Has the RSH competition gone the way of the 1st aborted contract, even as India’s high altitude border posts struggle for adequate support?

The Contenders



IAF Chetak
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Reports in 2013 placed India’s fleet of Army Aviation Corps (AAC) Chetak/Cheetah helicopters at about 120 machines that remain in flyable consition. These are 1970s vintage helicopters, and all have long surpassed their official safe limit of 4,500 flying hours. Nevertheless, they are routinely sent to supply and support India’s high altitude border garrisons, including places like the Siachen Glacier (19,000 feet above sea level) and Satoro Ridge (20,000 feet). Operation at these altitudes has traditionally been very challenging for helicopters, owing to reduced rotor lift in the thinning air. Aged machines lower the odds further. From 2006 to the end of 2012, 11 Cheetah/ Chetak helicopters have crashed, killing 9 pilots.

The AAC needs replacements, and wants new helicopters with better performance and support characteristics. These new machines will perform a variety of armed light utility tasks, including ferrying loads of up to 75 kg, medical evacuations, aerial photography, unarmed and armed scout roles, and even limited electronic surveillance.

Under the v2.0 Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopter (RSH) competition, India upped its planned buy from HAL to 187 locally-designed LUH single-engine helicopters, accompanied by 197 LUH helicopters of a foreign design.

By 2014, India canceled the international LUH tender for a 2nd time, and turned it into a program to build helicopters in India under license. That’s expected to add several years before the AAC sees any helicopters, and effectively dissolves the competition structure. It may still be useful to know how candidates performed in previous competitions, however, so we’re keeping them in their categories below.

Previous Finalists



AS550 Fennec
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Eurocopter A550. HAL and Eurocopter predecessor Aerospatiale have a long-standing relationship, and past Indian Army helicopters have generally been modified Aerospatiale designs. The Eurocopter AS550 C3 Fennec won the Army’s v1.0 competition, and price negotiations were underway when a questionable technicality led India to cancel the deal.

The AS550 reportedly needed several modifications for India’s requirements, including ‘bulge doors’ so soldiers on stretchers wouldn’t have to fold their legs at 70 degrees in order to fit inside. A Technical Oversight Committee cleared the modified machine, despite a tender clause ruling out modifications. Reports from India also speak of failure in some high-altitude trials, which is surprising for a helicopter type that has landed atop Mount Everest. Unfortunately, the reports aren’t specific concerning which exact tasks were the problem.

On the industrial side, EADS subsidiary Eurocopter have entered into a Global Industrial Cooperation Partnership Agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the joint production of the civilian/military Ecureuil and Fennec family of helicopters. That agreement, signed at the ongoing “Aero-India 2005″ international air show, would make HAL a global supplier of composite and metallic structural assemblies for the Ecureuil and Fennec family, including airframes for the 2 helicopters.

Kamov Ka-226 w. pod

Kamov Ka-226. Russia’s Kamov had responded to the AAC’s v1.0 Request For Proposal back in late 2003, alongside Bell and Eurocopter. Its Ka-226 Sergei uses the same counter-rotating design as Kamov’s other helicopters, which serve in roles with the Indian Navy. The Ka-226 also has a somewhat unusual feature – it can become a skycrane by detaching its body pod. Other mission pods can also be fitted for specialty roles, which gives the helicopter considerable versatility.

In the 1st competition, the Ka-226 was eliminated early during the paper evaluation, because it had been unable to obtain acceptable flight certification in time. Kamov unsuccesfully asked to be re-inserted in 2005, and the formal re-tender led Kamov to bid again, but the up-engined Ka-226T soon ran into certification issues of its own. Ka-226Ts replace Rolls Royce 250C engines with French Turbomeca Arrius 2G2s. That delivers better performance at altitude, but certification generally takes at least 2 years, and the new design had rolled out just 9 months before the 2010 trials.

The Ka-226 is reported to be significantly cheaper than its rivals. On the flip side, it has few customers at this point, even as problems with other Russian equipment and policies are creating pressure to diversify India’s supplier base away from Russia. Nevertheless, it was a finalist alongside the A550 Fennec.

Previous Contenders

AW119 Koala
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AW119. AgustaWestland had been a bidder in previous rounds, bid in the v2.0 RFP as well. The AW119 Koala Enhanced has good high-altitude capabilities, and turned out to be their platform. The uprated AW109 Power is more popular, but it has a listed ceiling of just over 19,000 feet. That’ss more than enough for most customers, but may not have been enough for India.

The firm’s civil sales have been rising in India, but it was not a finalist in the 1st round of competition. They were hoping for better luck in round 2, but found themselves bounced from the competition on a somewhat mystifying technicality.

There are allegations that the firm was solicited for a bribe during the competition, and that the firm was dismissed on a dubious technicality shortly after refusing to pay bribes. Ironically, they’ve now been barred from bidding on new Indian contracts over allegations of bribery with respect to a different competition, despite the fact that the CBI has been unable to build a case against them re: India’s VVIP helicopter procurement.

MD-600N
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MD Helicopters. Some reports also claimed that MD Helicopters’ MD500/900 series were entered in the v2.0 Indian competition, but subsequent reports indicate that they chose not to bid in round 2.

MDHI’s patented NOTAR (NO TAil Rotor) system might have offered India a very tempting technology transfer option, even as a joint arrangement with India could help complete the resurgence of this American helicopter firm. NOTAR offers quietness and survivability benefits, both of which are very important in combat situations. On the flip side, it reportedly exacts a slight performance penalty, and MD Helicopters’ ability to meet India’s hot weather, high altitude performance criteria was already the key question. The MD600N offers a single-engine, NOTAR option with a stated ceiling of 20,000 feet at full load. On the other hand, their conventional MD530F is specifically designed for those “hot and high” situations, and has been ordered by Afghanistan.

The Wild Card: Hindustan Aeronautics

HAL’s Dhruv
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The competition’s wild card is India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. If the foreign competition stalls for long enough, while their own helicopters enter service, the odds of an all-HAL solution increase. Substitution doesn’t require equivalent replacement, either, just the ability to perform the envisioned RSH missions with a different mix of assets. The longer the foreign competition stalls, the less India loses from even late development and delivery of local alternatives.

HAL certainly wasn’t shy about using its state-owned status and political clout to take 115 helicopters out of the joint Air Force/ Army light helicopter program, in return for promises of a single-engine “Light Observation Helicopter” design within 5-6 years. That eventually escalated to 187 machines, now called “Light Utility Helicopter,” for delivery within about 12 years. The LUH will reportedly be a smaller 3-ton machine with a single engine, instead of the 6-ton Dhruv’s twin engines. Expected speed is up to 120 knots, with a service ceiling of 21,300 feet, and the ability carry a 900-pound payload about 190 nautical miles. Mockups of HAL’s LUH were unveiled at Aero India 2011 in February, and it was expected that the first 3 would fly in 2013, but HAL is still working to finalize the engine.

Mass production was scheduled to begin in 2015 at 10 per year, building to 36 per year until deliveries end in 2022. That schedule now looks unlikely, but the international portions delay to 2019 or later will ease the pressure on HAL. Without easing the pressure on India’s military. HAL has had a problem with late deliveries on other projects as well, but HAL’s LUH deal allows India to reduce its HAL LUH order total and buy abroad if they’re late. Provided that foreign bought options exist to buy, of course.

As things stand right now, the only options for India’s Army belong to HAL.

HAL Cheetal
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In the mean time, HAL is offering the Army its up-engined “Cheetal” variant, which replaces the SA516 Cheetah’s de-rated TM Artouste IIIB turboshaft with a FADEC-driven TM 333-2M2, raising its payload to 90 kg at 19,600 feet. Some improvements have also been made to the helicopter’s avionics, including an electrically driven artificial horizon, directional gyro, Flight monitoring system, Cockpit Voice Recorder, and Master Flasher Warning System. If that sounds bare-bones compares to the advanced “glass cockpits” and GPS navigation in the various LUH/RSH competitors, it is, but it’s an improvement on the existing Cheetahs.

With the foreign-bought competition stalled by a poorly-run procurement process and a raft of anonymous allegations, the Army has reluctantly begun buying Cheetals an an immediate stopgap. A INR 1.89 billion (about $43 million) IAF buy of 10 Chetals in 2007 was followed by a 2013 Army order for 20 more at INR 4.18 billion (about $78 million).

The Dhruv twin-engine light helicopter, has reportedly performed well in high altitude tests, but it has also received consistent complaints about its performance in the field. The current Mk.III version uses the Ardiden 1H1 Shakti engine that was co-developed with Turbomeca, instead of the less powerful TM333-2B2 on earlier models. Orders for 166 helicopters are already underway, and the light helicopter competition’s delays have given the design a period of time to mature and prove itself. At about 5.5 tonnes, the Dhruv Mk.III is almost twice as heavy as the LUH contenders, but that wouldn’t necessarily stop it from acting as a substitute for foreign-bought LUH helicopters in a budget or timing crunch. The “Rudra Mk IV” variant adds a surveillance & targeting turret and a GIAT 20mm cannon and in the nose, while integrating missiles and rockets on the wings.

Then there’s the “Light Combat Helicopter” Dhruv derivative, a purpose-built light attack and scout helicopter that’s said to have good high-altitude performance.

Milestones & Developments

This section covers the competition for imported RSH/LUH helicopters, but the salience of HAL’s local LUH, Dhruv, and LCH attack helicopter programs means that we will occasionally cover key milestones and developments from those programs. HAL’s Light Utility Helicopter will be referred to as “LOH” in highlighting, using its original name in order to clearly distinguish it from the foreign competition.

2013 – 2015

Still waiting on international LUH, until new government cancels it; HAL moves ahead with Dhruv, LCH, but will be late on its own LUH.

March 3/15: Competition restarts. India will restart its reconnaissance/surveillance helicopter (RSH) procurement process, after having botched the first two attempts. Previous finalist Airbus Helicopters (AS550 C3 Fennec) will compete again, along with other finalist Kamov (Ka-226T2 Sergei). And Bell Helicopter will re-enter the fray. Bell had been a part of the first competition back in 2003. It will be fielding its Bell 407GT, the militarized version of its 407GX.

Nov 12/14: LCH TD-3. the 3rd trial iteration of HAL’s Light Combat Helicopter successfully performed its 1st flight. TD-4 is planned for early 2015, with IOC (initial operational certification) planned for September 2015, almost 5 years later than originally envisioned. Sources: The Hindu: “LCH 3 variant makes first flight” | Economic Times (pictures).

You fall, I rise?
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Aug 29/14: Canceled. Someone in government finally made a decision. The new BJP government’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) canceled the IAF’s tender for 197 light utility helicopters (LUH), and moved it to the “Buy and Make Indian” category for local manufacture of foreign designs. The move is expected to add at least 5 years before India gets any new helicopters, and delivery of tested and qualified helicopters could well take longer than that.

HAL’s single-engine LUH, meanwhile, is late (q.v. Aug 12/14). International LUH delays to 2019 or later will help offset HAL’s weakness, at the cost of Indian military capabilities and possibly Indian lives in the near term. It remains to be seen whether the government will also feel forced to buy more HAL Chetals for immediate use.

If an international LUH competition ever goes forward, private sector involvement is possible. For instance, the Union Home Ministry is understood to have cleared a proposal from the Tata Group to produce helicopters in India. That open door is a welcome policy change, but it still doesn’t help India in the near term. Sources: Business Standard, “Govt clears defence deals worth Rs 17,000 cr” | Defense News, “India Cancels $1 Billion Light Helicopter Tender” | Financial Express, “Make in India kicks off with defence deals” | Indian Express, “Centre scraps light utility helicopter tender, opens it to Indian players” | NDTV, “Modi Government Drops Rs 6000-Crore Foreign Chopper Plan, Wants ‘Made in India'”.

Canceled

Aug 12/14: HAL’s LUH. The 187-helicopter order that HAL lobbied to carve out of the original LUH competition will be late. Why? New BJP defense minister Arun Jaitley, in reply to a Parliamentary question:

“Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) is a Design and Development Project by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), and it has taken some time to finalise the engine for helicopter. Acquisition of LUH does not affect the operations of Advanced Light Helicopters [HAL’s Dhruv] as these helicopters are for different purposes.”

Sources: India PIB, “Delays in Acquisition of LUHs”.

Jan 21/14: HAL. HAL issues a press release titled, simply, “India Needs More Helicopters”:

“India needs more helicopters compared to West and China as these wonder machines have proved their mettle in variety of uses by Armed Forces in general, during natural calamities and internal security threats, said Dr. R.K. Tyagi, Chairman, HAL. Pointing out that these machines ensure better governance but the country has far less copters compared to over 35,000 that are operational across the world, he said what is needed is a national helicopter policy. Dr. Tyagi was addressing the delegates of National Workshop on “Use of helicopters for Airborne Law Enforcement (ALE)”

Presumably, HAL’s Chairman doesn’t mean the helicopters that his firm has been lobbying against, even as he concedes the importance of those missing helicopters to India’s military posture and humanitarian response. Pay no attention, just implement a state-run national helicopter policy that will steer demand to the state-run firm. It’s certainly easier than competing. Public Choice Theory of Economics [PDF], anyone?

Dec 6/13: More delays. An oversight committee is now looking into the RSH final flight trials’ propriety, as it tested the Ka-226T vs. the AS550C3. Even as the bids expire this month, and unidentified MoD source tells AIN not to expect any action any time soon. AIN also quotes a HAL official who says that the HAL LUH contract is being delayed, and the machine won’t obtain initial operational clearance until 2017.

So, no decisions are being taken, and very little is forthcoming, even as the Indian Army’s Chief of Staff Western Command, Lt. Gen Amarjeet Singh Chabbewal, tells AIN that spares for existing machines are now expensive and increasingly difficult to obtain. Worse, “We have neglected fleet sustainment… the wear and tear on these helicopters is extremely high.”

India’s Border Security Force (BSF) is beginning to reach for other platforms, including a recent order for 8 Mi-17V5s, but it won’t be enough. Sources: AIN, “Big Indian Light Helicopter Buys Are Delayed Again”.

April 3/13: RSH delayed. The Indian Army has asked for a delay in the competition, and the MoD’s Director General (Acquisition) has asked Eurocopter and Kamov for an 8-month extension of their bids to the end of 2013.

The Army’s problem is Brigadier V S Saini, who is currently posted at the Officers’ Training Academy at Chennai (!). He was also in charge of the LUH field trials, and his name is on a document seized by Italian investigators into Finmeccanica’s AW101 VVIP helicopter deal. The document says that “Brig Saini” had demanded over $5 million to favour the company in the LUH deal as well, and mentions a January 2010 offer to “help to eliminate the competition.” The current conclusion is that no money changed hands, but just a few months later, Finmeccanica itself was eliminated on an inconsistent technicality.

Army chief General Bikram Singh reportedly told defence minister A K Antony that the RSH project needs to be formally put on hold until the inquiry against the brigadier is complete. Brig. Sani has denied the allegations, and reports indicate that Indian investigators haven’t been able to secure hard evidence. That means they’ll be depending on the Italians, who haven’t fully shared their VVIP deal evidence yet. India’s Economic Times | Rediff | Times of India.

Feb 22/13: Cheetal. HAL announces an INR 4.18 billion ($77.2 million, or $3.86 million per helicopter) contract to supply 20 stopgap Cheetal helicopters to the Indian Army. HAL will also provide “associated equipments,” and training to the pilots and technical crew.

This is the Army’s 1st Cheetal contract; previous buys have been for the IAF. The longer the RSH competition is held in limbo by the MoD, the more stopgap orders will be placed.

Army Chetal buy

Feb 8/13: Mrit? Sandeep Unnithan writes that the RSH tender is dead. The problem is a common one in India: poor (and often late) framing of unusual requirements, with little reference to the marketplace, followed by rigid insistence that vendors provide off-the-shelf, unmodified solutions. The RSH isn’t the only competition that has been destroyed by this combination.

Both finalists reportedly had issues with some of the requirements, as detailed in the article and explained above. Unnithan adds that a “barrage of anonymous complaints to the MOD” concerning deviations from requirements have led the Ministry to conclude that the deal would be declared improper if they were to sign it. Nobody wishes to say so publicly, because it wold make the Army and Ministry look inept.

Instead, the competition remains in an unexplained limbo, even as 11 aged Indian Cheetah helicopters have crashed since 2006 and killed 9 pilots. In order to ensure that their extreme-altitude patrols and bases can maintain their supply lines, the Army is buying up-engined Cheetah (“Cheetal”) helicopters from HAL. The RSH competitors would offer the Army advantages, but the Cheetals are available amidst a stalled process. A 2007 buy of 19 for INR 1.89 billion (about $43 million) will soon be followed by an order for 20 more, at a reported figure of INR 3.35 billion (about $76 million).

As a final note, observant readers may wonder about the Oct 13/08 date, but the article routinely refers to events after 2010. The India Today article is clearly a pre-press proof.

Feb 5/13: Stop Making Sense. Defense News talks to IAF sources that include Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne, but their explanations regarding the LUH program still don’t make sense.

Air Marshal Browne told them that LUH was “presently delayed due to some technical reasons,” without giving details. Defense News adds that “Indian Air Force sources said there are issues with thrust of the engines of both the competitors.” There’s really no such thing as an issue with engine thrust, only issues with overall helicopter performance, and the AS550 at least has demonstrated an impressive level of high-altitude performance.

Meanwhile, competitors are openly asking why the process seems to be in limbo.

Feb 3/13: IOC for Dhruv/Rudra. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd announces initial operational clearance (IOC) for their Advanced Light Helicopter Mk-IV armed variant of the Dhruv. It’s larger than the planned LUH, but can perform cargo, surveillance and light attack roles to the required altitudes.

Likewise, HAL’s Dhruv-derived LCH light attack helicopter offers a very high service ceiling, and can perform surveillance and light attack roles, though it isn’t much good for cargo. Flight testing is wrapping up, and 179 are planned.

As DID noted back on Nov 30/09: “If the foreign competition stalls for long enough, while their own helicopters enter service, the odds of an all-HAL solution increase.” Substitution doesn’t require equivalent replacement, just the ability to perform the envisioned missions with a different mix of assets. If that means fewer helicopters overall, the Army will be unhappy, but the coming budgets are likely to force India’s military and politicians to make choices. Removing foreign-designed helicopters from the equation may not be the best choice operationally, but it’s a political path of least resistance. Time will tell.

2009 – 2012

Bids and trials, then 2 years of aimless waiting; HAL’s LOH/LUH alternative moves ahead to initial fabrication.

“What’s up, doc?”
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Dec 5/12: Short answer: No, India’s Ministry of Defense doesn’t have its act together yet. Actual quote:

“The Ministry has not deferred its decision of purchasing of 197 Light Utility Helicopters (LUHs) and the procurement case is under examination. The Defence Procurement Procedure lays down stringent guidelines to effect utmost probity and transparency in procurement transactions. It is not a fact that these helicopters were to be purchased from Government of Italy. In the context of an allegation against one service officer, as appearing in the media, information has been sought from the Government of Italy.”

Nov 3/12: HAL’s LOH. HAL says that they are beginning to assemble actual LUH helicopters now, not just mock-ups. The first bottom structure assembly is complete, and was been taken down from the jig in October. Modern CAD diagrams and CAMS ultra-precise measurement systems are being used in production. No word on an engine choice at this point. SP’s Land Forces.

Feb 20/12: Does Sanskrit have a word for “speed”? Eurocopter has written to Indian Army chief V K Singh, to ask about the light helicopter competition. While minister Antony talks about “approved timelines,” Eurocopter writes:

“We take this opportunity to express our concern regarding the time frame for the very important programme, for which the RFP was issued in July 2008… The technical evaluation process has now taken over 38 months and has not yet been concluded due to reasons which are unknown to us… We hope that this program after so many years will soon be successfully concluded and we would be proud to contribute to the self-reliance of Indian armed forces,”

There are actually quite a few Sanskrit words for speed, and Hindi words too. Unfortunately, India’s bureaucracy may need a lexicon to find them. It isn’t clear when Army Aviation Corps (AAC) submitted their trial reports to India’s Defence Ministry, after trials wrapped up in December 2010. India’s Economic Times writes that the trial report was accepted by the ministry in October 2011, and only approved by the Technical Oversight Committee in January 2012. Which appears to make the delays another self-inflicted wound from India’s defense bureaucracy.

Eurocopter’s letter

Aug 28/11: HAL LOH. Shiv Aroor offers a progress report on Livefist:

“After freezing configuration in June 2009 and design in August last year, HAL is now in the process of identifying systems and equipment for its Light Utility Helicopter (LUH). The transmission and rotor system design has been completed, and is fully indigenous. Raising of assembly jigs and fixtures is currently in progress. One ground test vehicle (GTV) and three prototypes of the LUH are planned, with a first prototype flight in 2012 and initial operational clearance by 2014.

May 27/11: HAL LOH. HAL confirms to the Economic Times that they’re looking at other engines besides the Dhruv’s Turbomeca Ardiden 1H1/Shakti, in order to power their LUH. The problem with Turbomeca reportedly revolved around fees. If another engine is picked, it lowers the benefits of fleet commonality for India, and could create a commonality advantage for a foreign LUH competitor.

A subsequent Livefist reports says that the Rolls Royce/ Honeywell LHTEC T800, which is used in advanced variants of the Lynx helicopter family, is Shakti’s main competition. Economic Times | Livefist.

May 1-23/11: Dhruv droops. HAL’s Dhruv continues to exert a gravitational pull on this RSH competition, but results are mixed at best.

One the one hand, the helicopter will be getting the HELINA derivative of India’s Nag anti-armor missile, which has been over 20 years in development. HELINA is inferior to off-the-shelf options elsewhere, but does fit India’s self-sufficiency model, and could be seen as bolstering HAL’s bid to fill the armed light helicopter role.

On the other hand, India’s Border Security Force wants to send its 8 Dhruvs back. Representatives went on record to call them “useless,” and criticized them for altitude limitations and frequent breakdowns. These performance issues are not new, so the RSH light helicopter competition may be rising in importance to India. DNA India re: HELINA | Indian Express re: BSF.

Feb 20/11: Trials. Indian Defence reports that finalist trials of the Russian Ka-226 vs. Eurocopter’s AS550 C3 Fennec have ended.

197 foreign helicopters and 187 LUHs will be procured in order to fulfill RSH requirements. Meanwhile, a HAL LUH mock-up, draft performance specifications, and HAL’s Light Combat Helicopter design, were all unveiled at the Aero India 2011 show.

Jan 17/11: LUH mission. HAL submits an invitation for Indian companies to provide the helicopter’s cockpit, which is a break from its approach with the Dhruv, and from its expected approach to LOH. At the same time, the firm describes the Indian LUH mission, as they see it. A similar or identical mission set is likely to apply to foreign helicopters, and includes:

“…primarily utility roles with future variants for armed roles. The utility roles include Armed Reconnaissance, Aerial photography, Scout Role in conjunction with attack helicopter, Platform for Electronic Support Measure (ESM), Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) and Electronic Counter Counter Measures (ECCM). LUH will be initially integrated with systems and equipment required for basic and military utility roles. Subsequently integration and certification of the helicopter for armed roles as well as civil/commercial variant would be taken up.”

The PDF link no longer works, but Livefist has some key excerpts.

Sept 25/10: AW’s puzzling elimination. Reports surface that AugustaWestand has not been invited for the LUH Phase II final trials, which are currently going on with Eurocopter and Kamov. AgustaWestland and their engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney and has written the MoD to question its elimination. Defenseworld.net:

“AgustaWestand had received a communication from the Indian MoD in April this year to the effect that there was a variance in the equipment offered (engine) in the technical proposal to that fielded in the trails and to the equipment which would be in the final production standard, AgustaWestland sources [said that]… the issue focused on the fact that the offered engine had not finished the certification process and not deemed current production standard. However, all vendors… are in the same position… The sources further asserted that the AgustaWestland AW119SP helicopter offered in the Indian competition meets all the RFP technical and mission requirements.”

Why was AW eliminated?

Feb 18/10: AW-Tata JV. At DefExpo 2010 in New Delhi, AgustaWestland announces a joint venture with India’s Tata Sons to build a final AW119 assembly line in India for the worldwide market, with an expected production rate of 30 a year and the first locally-built aircraft potentially rolling out in 2011. AgustaWestland | Defense News.

Feb 17/10: Ka-226 trials. At DefExpo 2010 in New Delhi, Rosoboronexport’s deputy director general Victor Komardin confirms that they have brought 3 Ka-226 helicopters to India for high altitude trials. DNA India.

Feb 12/10: Fennec trials. Eurocopter confirms that its AS550 C3 is undergoing trials for the Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopters program, and brings the machine to DefExpo 2010 in New Delhi. The firm will also be showcasing mock-up models of the EC 725 Cougar offered for India’s Multi-role Helicopter requirement, and the AS565 MB Panther offered for India’s Indian Coast Guard.

Dec 7/09: RFP v2 Bidders. Responding to Parliamentary questions, defense minister Antony confirms the bidders for India’s v2.0 contract:

“The Request for Proposal for replacing the Cheetah helicopters was issued in July 2008 to six vendors. Three vendors, namely, (i) M/s Agusta Westland, Italy (ii) M/s Eurocopter, France and (iii) M/s Rosoboronexport, Russia, have responded. Further action as per the existing procedures including Defence Procurement Procedure, 2008 is underway.”

Nov 30/09: Heli snapshots. As the light helicopter competition stalls, HAL is the biggest beneficiary. If the foreign competition stalls for long enough, while their own helicopters enter service, the odds of an all-HAL solution increase. Minister of State for Defence Shri MM Pallam Raju offers a snapshot in a response to India’s Parliament:

“Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has designed & developed the Advance Light Helicopter (ALH Dhruv) in 5.5 ton category to suit the requirement of our Armed Forces. The Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) are both at the development stage. HAL has so far delivered 22 ALHs to Indian Air Force (IAF) and 40 to Army. Contracts for supply of 159 ALHs to Army and IAF were signed in December 2007. These Helicopters are planned to be delivered during 2009-2016.

Around Rs. 6273 crores (INR 62.73 billion, or about $1.35 billion) have been collected by HAL from Army and IAF against delivery of Helicopters, milestone payments for the Helicopters contracted and Design & Development of LCH, LUH & weaponization of ALH.”

Nov 2/09: Delays. India’s Times Now reports that delays in planned trials of the 3 submitted helicopters is likely to push the contract award toward the end of 2010 or early 2011, with induction in 2013-2014 only if everything goes smoothly.

The cancellation of the v1.0 RFP has already pushed the deal back by about 4 years. Times Now reports that 3 (Eurocopter, Agusta Westland, and Mil) manufacturers responded to the v2.0 RFP in December 2008. The Indian Defence Ministry’s Technical Evaluation Committee completed its evaluations by April-May 2009, and summer trials were planned by June or July 2009. They have not been held, and Army sources added that the lack of any decision regarding the schedule makes winter trials unlikely by Feb 15/10. That’s likely to force summer trials back to April-May 2010, and winter trials would still be required.

2005 – 2008

Eurocopter wins, but competition voided on a minor technicality; RFP v2.0 released, with a carve-out for HAL; Bell bows out.

Bell 407/ YRH-70
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Nov 26/08: HAL LOH partnering? Flight International reports that Hindustan Aeronautics is likely seek a Western partner for its indigenous LUH design, with industry sources saying Eurocopter is the favorite to be invited to come on board in 2009.

HAL’s had originally wanted to go it alone for its LOH order, which was placed in addition to the 197 LUHs that India plans to buy on the international market. Given the performance requirements, set timelines, and penalties for delay, however (see Sept 8/08 entry), HAL has evidently decided to explore partnership as a less risky and less costly way to fill in needed skills and technologies.

That could have helped the foreign bidders, by fulfilling offset requirements and lowering relationship risk. In the end, however, HAL appears to be sticking to its original plan to go it alone.

Nov 13/08: Bell bows out. Indian media report that Bell Helicopter has now withdrawn from India’s LUH helicopter competition, as well as its attack helicopter competition. Flight International quotes a Bell Helicopters India Incorporated official:

“We have a very good product in the 407, but it was simply not feasible to take part given the high offset requirements. We will continue to look for opportunities in the Indian military market. The focus for now, however, is on the civil helicopter sector.”

The RFP required the winner to invest 50% of the deal’s value as industrial offsets to India, an amount that is higher than India’s usual 30% requirement for large foreign military purchases. Bell already has an agreement with HAL to manufacture tail rotor blades and other flight critical components for the popular Bell 206 Jet Ranger model, and there were some reports that Bell Textron was offering to make India the Bell 407’s global production hub. Bell Helicopter was contacted for comment, but declined. India Defence | DNA India | Flight International | India’s Economic times re: 407’s civil success in India.

No Bell prize

Sept 8/08: HAL LOH. In “The great helicopter challenge,” India’s Business Standard confirms that HAL is designing a new helicopter for the Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) contract: a 3-ton helicopter powered by a single Shakti engine, as opposed to the dual-Shakti Dhruv. The catch is that HAL must have 187 helicopters built, tested, accepted and delivered by 2017:

“Business Standard has learned that the MoD has imposed a strict timeline on HAL, including – for the first time ever – a penalty for delay. Top HAL sources say that if HAL overshoots the 2017 deadline, the MoD will procure more helicopters from the global manufacturer selected to supply LOHs; HAL’s order will correspondingly reduce.”

In order to meet that deadline, the report also indicates that HAL will not be bound to India’s traditional, problem-plagued approach of insisting that every single component is indigenous. Instead, HAL will buy some sub-systems like cockpit design, fuel pump systems, etc. on the international market, and act as the overall integrator.

July 24/08: RFP v2.0. India invites v2.0 bids for 197 utility helicopters: 133 for the army and 64 for the air force. The foreign helicopters are expected to be inducted by 2010, in a deal that has been valued at INR 30 billion (about $750 million). The usual technology transfer requirements would only require enough transfer for state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to perform full maintenance.

Between them, the 2 services require 312 helicopters. The size of the tender was reportedly reduced after inside lobbying from state-owned HAL, however, which assured the Indian MoD that it would be in a position to supply the remaining 115 machines over the next 5-6 years. Some statements hint that this would be a new platform, but some variant of this indigenous helicopter seems more likely. Indo-Asian News Service | ANI | Howrah News Service | domain-B | Aviation Week.

RFP v2.0

April 9/08: Bigger Tender. Press reports indicate that India plans to float a larger tender for 312 high altitude light utility helicopters, after it is cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council meeting on April 10/08. The planned tender involves 197 helicopters for army aviation, per the previous tender, but adds another 115 for the air force.

Estimates place the tender’s value at “over $2 billion dollars.” America’s ARH-70 and UH-145/LUH buys of light off-the-shelf helicopters both had program totals of over $3 billion, for similar helicopter numbers.

Bidders for this round are expected to include the same set of firms as the last tender: Bell Helicopter (Bell 407, selected for ARH-70), EADS Eurocopter (AS550 Fennec, won the canceled competition round), Russia’s Kamov (Ka-226) and Italy’s Agusta Westland (likely AW119 Ke).

Reports add that India’s army and IAF have also concluded a major deal with Hindustan Aeronautics for Dhruv 166 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH), to be inducted in phases by 2011. Could HAL look to grow that number with a bid of its own? Hindustan Times | Punjab News | Times of India.

Dec 17/07: India Defence reports that Indian defence ministry officials, who asked not to be identified, said EADS was “challenging the very grounds of the cancellation of the deal.” They said a visiting delegation of French military officials would be discussing the issue with Indian counterparts.

These sorts of protests are much like disputes over a referee/umpire’s call in professional sports. They may offer some satisfaction, and they definitely indicate one’s displeasure, but even when they’re right, they almost never change the ruling.

December 2007: Canceled. The competition goes back to square one as India cancels the RFP, and plans to issue a new tender.

The key issue is that special consideration was apparently shown to Eurocopter, who was allowed to field the AS350 B3 Ecureil civilian variant for the trials instead of the AS550 C3 Fennec military version. Meanwhile, there are reports that a probe is underway regarding an army general on the evaluation committee, whose brother reportedly heads up Eurocopter’s sole distributor in India.

This has triggered denials of wrongdoing from EADS Eurocopter: “EADS and Eurocopter are keen on insisting that both companies fully comply with the very strict French and European regulations on these issues…” A company statement also insisted it was in full compliance with European regulations re: bribery, and had “duly abided by and signed the pre-integrity pact that was requested by the Indian ministry of defence” before making its bid. At a subsequent press conference later in the month, Norbert Ducrot, Eurocopter’s SVP for sales and customer relations in the Asia-Pacific region said there was no difference between the Fennec’s military and civilian versions:

“As far as performance is concerned and technically the two helicopters are the same. It is just a question of the nomenclatures… The request for proposal did not ask for the military version to be fielded for trials in India.”

Even a re-compete of the RFP may not help Bell Helicopter much, however, unless it can meet India’s requirements. India Defence reports that the Bell 407 was eliminated after the machine it sent for evaluation could not perform a 3-axis vector, which enables the helicopter perform a ‘U’ like maneuver that can be very helpful in mountainous areas like the Siachen Glacier. Bell offered to show a video of the helicopter performing a similar maneuver, or fly Indian officials to Canada to witness it, but this was rejected for lack of compliance with India’s testing requirements.

Thanks to all of our readers who have offered us heads-ups and links to various sources: India Defence | India Times | BBC | Breitbart | Forbes.

RFP canceled

Oct 7/07: Winner? The Press Trust of India reports (via Outlook India) that India has decided to buy 197 EADS’ AS550 Fennec helicopters. The Indian Navy, who also operates the Chetak helicopter, has reportedly expressed interest as well. EADS Senior Vice President for South Asia, Allain Letanoux, said that:

“We are in final phase of having a deal to supply 197 (Fennec) light helicopters for the Indian Army. The contract is expected to be signed by the end of the year… [and will involve transfer of technology].”

PTI adds that 67 helicopters manufactured in France will be purchased outright, while the rest will be built jointly with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under their partnership.

Eurocopter AS550 picked

Aug 29/07: India’s MoD, in a typically cryptic reply that appears to say no decision has been reached yet:

“The purchase of light helicopter for the army is being processed under the Defence Procurement Procedure and an appropriate decision would be taken after following all the stages of procurement process. As such, no definite time limit could be given at this stage. The exact value of the procurement would be known only thereafter.”

Meanwhile, India’s indigenous Dhruv “advanced light helicopter” debuts an armed version, adds uprated “Shakti” engines developed with Turbomeca of France, and is deployed to the Siachen Glacier high in the mountains of Kashmir, following successful tests.

Feb 27/06: Eurocopter. EADS release:

“Eurocopter is displaying its record-breaking AS350 B3 Ecureuil/AStar at this year’s HeliExpo. On February 14th, 2006, the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) validated and confirmed the high-altitude world record achieved with a civilian AS350 B3 on May 14 and 15, 2005, with two landings and take-offs on top of Mount Everest at 8,850 meters (29,035 ft.) altitude. Piloted by Eurocopter Experimental Test Pilot Didier Delsalle, the two flights included peak-over landings on the mountain’s peak both exceeding two minutes as stipulated by the FAI regulations.”

Everest News has a page covering the landing, including pictures and video. Note that the AS550 is a military derivative of the AS350, and originally used the same designation.

Onto Everest

July 29/05: Bell 407. The Bell 407 wins the US ARH competition, and some predict a follow-=on effect in India. The prediction turns out to be premature, and the ARH-70 is eventually canceled by the USA, though Iraq will field an armed IA-407 variant.

Additional Readings & Sources

Background: Competing Helicopters

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. – Helicopter Division Bangalore. Includes Dhruv, plus Chetak/ Cheetah/ Lancer.

Airbus Helicopters – AS550 C3 Fennec.

Army Technology – AS 550 Fennec Single-Engined Light Military Helicopter, Europe.

AgustaWestland – AW119 Ke.

Aerospace Technology – AgustaWestland A119 Koala Single-Turbine Light Helicopter, Italy.

Bell Helicopter – The Bell 407. Was discussed at one time as a potential competitor, didn’t participate in Round 2. Since then, Bell has developed additional 407 variants, as well as other single-engine helicopter solutions.

Russian Helicopters – Ka-226T: Light Utility Multirole Helicopter.

Aerospace Technology – Kamov Ka-226 Sergei Light Multipurpose Helicopter, Russia.

News & Views

India Strategic (January 2014) – Army Helicopters: Operational implications of delays in fleet modernisation.

Aviation Week (May 27/13) – Officials Pessimistic About LUH Prospects. Gee, you don’t say.

Aviation Week (May 21/10) – New Delhi Rotary Ambitions Continue To Climb [dead link]. Cover RSH, plus Navy, Coast Guard, and attack competitions underway. Notable: “Defense ministry sources say the current re-tender has had certain hiccups during technical and flight evaluations?flaws that could delay the process or, in a worst-case scenario, translate into yet another re-tender.”

Agence France-Presse (June 15/05) – EADS Faces Rising Opposition To Entry of U.S. Market [dead link]. So India becomes more important – though in the end, they did win the UH-72 contract.

Bell Helicopter News Release (June 13/05) – Bell Flies ARH Demonstrator.

Deccan Herald (May 10/05) – Eurocopter, Bell vie for Indian Army contract.

The Hindu (Feb 14/05) – HAL inks deal with Eurocopter.

Indian Journal of Aerospace Medicine (1999 Winter; 43(2): 59-67) – The elusive oxygen mask helmet system for cheetah helicopter: a cause for erosion of accepted norms in the field. “ABSTRACT: Recently IAM was tasked to evaluate two Oxygen Mask-Helmet systems, one locally modified and one imported, for Cheetah helicopter which has been operationally flying in service for the past 20 years for IAF and Indian Army. An ideal system has remained elusive till date. This paper brings out the continuing erosion of the accepted norms and the compromise with dangers of hypoxia, in terms of high altitude operations of this helicopter. The flight safety issues of this compromise have been brought out and findings of the two system evaluations are presented as a solution, requiring immediate attention.”

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