Indian Airforce Mi-17V5 The delivery of rotorcraft often remains in the shadow of the more eye-catching airplane contracts. Meanwhile,...
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| Indian Airforce Mi-17V5 |
The delivery of rotorcraft often remains in the shadow of the more eye-catching airplane contracts. Meanwhile, in India cooperation in this sector has become just as systemically important as the fighter aircraft program.
Although New Delhi has a substantial helicopter fleet, both military and civil, the number of machines on hand is clearly disproportionately small compared to the size of the armed forces and the country as a whole. In this respect, this market is rather far from being saturated. In totalas of the end of this year approximately 900 helicopters are in operation in India, with more than 600 of these machines being used by the armed forces and law enforcement agencies and the remaining 300 or so helicopters used for civil purposes.
The fleet has largely become outdated and worn down, so some appealing prospects areemerging for helicopter manufacturers. Of particular interest here is the relatively rapid growth of the commercial helicopter fleet in India.
If at the end of 2002 the fleet totalled 117 machines, then by the end 2007 it numbered 190 machines and at the end of November of this year– 298.
In the commercial segment Russian-made helicopters are poorly represented. Three operators have total of six Mi-172 , and two of these machines were imported in 2012. In total over the past two decades Indian operators have acquired nine helicopters of this type: two in 1994, two in 1996, one in 2002, two in 2006 and two in 2012.
Counterbalancing this is the fact that Russian-made rotorcraft are dominant in the helicopter fleet of the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy . Both attack and transport helicopters are represented here. The Air Force has 25 combat Mi-25 and Mi-35 , up to 100 Mi-17 , up to 60 Mi-8T and three Mi-26 .
The Indian Navy operates nine radar recon Ka-31 , 16 antisubmarine Ka-28 and, most likely, 5 old antisubmarine Ka-25PL .
Most of the Russian-made machines in operation are helicopters delivered during the time of the Soviet Union. In total India received from the USSR 124 Mi-8T helicopters (including eight passenger M-8P), of which 24 machines were delivered in 1971-1972, another 20 in 1974-1975,and 80 in 1979-1982. The first contract to purchase Mi-17 (export name of the original Mi-8MTV ) was signed by India in 1986 and stipulated the delivery of 47 machines for the Air Force and six machines for the Border Security Force of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The agreement was fulfilled from 1986 to 1989.
A contract to purchase 10 Mi-25 ( Mi-24D ) and two Mi-25U was signed with India in 1982, and the AirForce received these machines in 1984. In 1988-1989, the USSR delivered 20 Mi-35 ( Mi-24V ). The Soviet Union also sold the world’s heaviest helicopters – the Mi-26 . Of the four Mi-26T , two were delivered to the Indian Air Force in 1986 and the second pair was delivered in 1989. Seven antisubmarine Ka-25PL were delivered to the Indian Navy in 1980 from among those used by the Soviet Navy. Later, from 1986 to 1991, the Indian Navy received 19 newly developed antisubmarine Ka-28 helicopters. Thus Russian-made helicopters are used in virtually every niche of this particular market.
Following a pause in the 1990s, at the start of theprevious decade India once again began placing major orders for Russian helicopters.
In 2000 a contract was signed with V/O Aviaexport to deliver to the Indian Air Force 40 Mi-17-1V for over $170 million. At that time the contract was the largest post-Soviet helicopter contract. It was fulfilled in 2000-2001. Another five machines of this model were delivered to the Indian Air Force in 2004.
New success was achieved in 2008, when Rosoboronexport signed another recording-making one-time deal worth $1.345 billion for 80 Mi-17V-5 helicopters built by Kazan Helicopters for the Indian Air Force. Deliveries began in September 2011. In total in the previous and current year the client received 36 machines; the delivery of the remaining 44 is expected in 2013-2014. The program will not end with the delivery of 80 machines but rather will continue with the signing of a new contract for 59 rotorcraft. Thus the total number of helicopters ofthe Mi-17 family purchased by India in the post-Soviet era will approach two hundred, whichis an impressive figure by any world standards. Moreover, Russia is continuing to strengthen its presence in the segment of ship-based helicopters. Through two contracts (1999 and 2001) the Indian Navy received in 2003-2004 nine radar recon Ka-31 helicopters, and as a part of the program to finish the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya it is expected that four new Ka-28 machines in the new configuration as well as five Ka-31 produced by Kumertau Aviation Production Enterprise will be delivered.
In light of these major deliveries, losing the tenders to Americans for the attack and heavy transport helicopters seems of course disappointing but also quite understandable. Furthermore, these tender wins do not imply the immediate signing of contracts. It is difficult to demand of the Indian side a complete orientationtoward purchasing exclusively Russian equipment. And, in general, the Indian-American rapprochement is a powerful strategic trend and not something that can be counteracted.
