Boeing clinches $2.4 billion helicopter deal with India

[Triton]

From Defencetalk:

"Boeing to clinch $2.4bn India deal: report"
by Agence France-Presse on Tuesday, November 6th, 2012

Source:
http://www.defencetalk.com/boeing-to-clinch-2-4-billion-indian-deal-report-45361/

Boeing looks set to win military contracts worth $2.4 billion from India for its Chinook and Apache helicopters, a report said Monday.

Dow Jones Newswires, quoting an unidentified Indian Air Force official, said commercial negotiations would begin soon for the purchase of 15 Chinook CH-47F heavy-lift helicopters and 22 AH-64D Block III Apache helicopters.

The transaction would mark a big shift for India away from its traditional supplier Russia.

Boeing’s twin-rotor Chinook was chosen recently as the preferred bidder over Russia-based MiL Moscow Helicopter Plant’s Mi-26, while the Apache was selected over the Mi-28, Dow Jones reported.

It quoted another person familiar with the matter as saying the Chinook deal was estimated at $1 billion while the Apache deal was worth $1.4 billion.

There was no immediate comment available from the Indian Air Force or Boeing.

Moscow has traditionally been the biggest supplier of aircraft and defence equipment to India.

With the latest reported development, Russia would have lost both recent competitive tenders in India in which it took part — the other being its bid to supply combat helicopters, which was also trumped by Boeing.

Earlier this year, France’s Rafale won a competition to provide 126 combat jets for the Indian Air Force.

Russia supplies around 70 percent of India’s military hardware. But New Delhi has been unhappy about delays in arms orders from Moscow and has looked to other suppliers including the United States and Israel in recent years

A blow for Mil.

 

[Johnbr]

Good for them if it gos throw for that Menes work.

 

[chuck4]

A blow for Mil.

India would probably avoid buying Russian equipment unless the west offers nothing similar, or if the Russians were willing to make whole sale technology and design expertise transfer, as with T-50 and Brohmos.

Basically Russian military aerospace industry has milked the products developed under the Soviets for as long as it could. These products are now all as stretched as they could be and are edging towards obsolecence. Now Russian military aerospace industry's last remaining attraction for big export customers with independent ambition for great power status is its experience in actually designing and developing aircrafts. It has to sell its crown jewels, or it won't be able to sell anything.

 

[Jemiba]

A blow for Mil.

Could become also a blow for HAL, I'm afraid. Although principally boxers in different weight divisions, I'm not sure,
that India can and will afford two different types of attack helicopters in its inventory. Or could it be a sign for
development problems with the HAL LAH ?

 

[chuck4]

I bleieve they already have another heavy attack helicopters in inventory - Mi-24. I understand LCH is mainly developed to handle the hot and high case in the himalayas, not to undertake heavy attack role. The AH-64 purchase is probably to supplement or replace Mi-24, and so would not conflict with LCH.