+ghostrider883 526 Posted October 7, 2007 India to buy 197 helicopters for army from EADS Paris, Oct 07: India will soon sign a deal with Europe's aerospace and defence major EADS for purchase of 197 Fennec helicopters for use of army, particularly in high altitude regions like Siachen. An agreement for supply of the as 550 Fennec helicopters for the Indian Navy may follow as the latter has expressed interest in acquiring these, officials of the company said here. "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," EADS Senior Vice President for South Asia, Allain Letanoux, said on Sunday. The deal will involve transfer of technology, he said. Though Letanoux did not specify the monetary volume of the contract, the deal is believed to be worth USD 600 million. Under the understanding between the two sides, 67 helicopters manufactured in France will be purchased outright while the rest will be built jointly with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The Fennec helicopter holds a record in flying in mountainous regions and was the only of its kind to successfully land on top of The Mount Everest recently, EADS officials say. Before deciding on signing the deal, the Indian Army has conducted a series of trials of the helicopter which were successful. The helicopters are capable of day and night military operations and cover a mission spectrum including attack, training, cargo, transport and medical evacuation. The Army Aviation Corps has been seeking new helicopters to ferry loads of up to 75 kgs to troops based at high altitudes in Siachen and other mountain peaks in Jammu and Kashmir. Operation at these high altitudes has always been a challenging task for helicopters as their rotor lift decreases substantially due to thinning of air in such areas. According to sources, America's Bell helicopters and Russia's Kamov were also in the race to get the contract. EADS already has a presence in India as it is working with HAL in development of light helicopters. The two partners are working to expand their cooperation into new market segments for which a joint analysis of mid-term and long-term strategies on aerospace business will be conducted in the near future. Eurocopter is willing to associate with HAL for development of 10t helicopters, which the Indian Defence Company plans to co develop with a foreign partner to meet the requirements of the Indian Armed Forces and also to satisfy requirements of global customers. A worthy replacement for the Cheetah(SA-315B Lama) and Chetak(Alouette III) helicopters operated by the Army Aviation Corps . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Atreides 144 Posted October 8, 2007 The HAL Dhruv not good enough ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted October 9, 2007 The Dhruv may not work so well in high altitudes, which was specifically mentioned here. I also don't think they're in the same class. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Atreides 144 Posted October 9, 2007 The Dhruv may not work so well in high altitudes, which was specifically mentioned here. I also don't think they're in the same class. You're right ! My bad Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+ghostrider883 526 Posted October 9, 2007 The HAL Dhruv not good enough ? The Dhruv simply can't match the Cheetah's high altitude performance. The Cheetah had been performing high altitude CASEVAC mission for years. Cheetah was the only helo capable of landing at the Siachen Glacier, the world's highest battlefield. THe Cheetah is the only link to those brave army men battling the odds in Siachen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted October 10, 2007 Which country do the odds fight for, as it seems pretty much EVERY country is fighting them? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+ghostrider883 526 Posted December 7, 2007 (edited) India cancels $600 mln chopper deal with EADS Blow for EADS as India cancels deal for 197 Eurocopter aircraft Sad, just so very sad.... and then this: Navy fires a shot across Russia’s bows Edited December 7, 2007 by ghostrider883 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SayethWhaaaa 245 Posted December 7, 2007 Demanding another 1.2 Billion for the Gorshkov?! Jesus titty slapping christ! I'd hate to see how Rosboronexport treats a bad customer! They're outta their tree if they think they can reprice a sealed deal. What utter BS!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Atreides 144 Posted December 7, 2007 India cancels $600 mln chopper deal with EADS Blow for EADS as India cancels deal for 197 Eurocopter aircraft Sad, just so very sad.... Aaahh yes, Indian shortsightedness at it's best. Wonderful ! What a bunch of imbeciles. and then this:Navy fires a shot across Russia’s bows Wow. I like how the admiral stated that India should reduce it's dependance on the Russian's he is 100% correct, the Russian's take India's need of their defence equipment for granted, hopefully India will buy more and more equipment from Western European, (EADS not included) countries, Israel and the U.S. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted December 7, 2007 You ever notice that as the size of an organization grows, the collective intelligence seems to decrease? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+ghostrider883 526 Posted December 9, 2007 Demanding another 1.2 Billion for the Gorshkov?! Jesus titty slapping christ! I'd hate to see how Rosboronexport treats a bad customer! They're outta their tree if they think they can reprice a sealed deal. What utter BS!! Arm twisting tactics by the Russkies. They very well know how much the navy needs this ship and its air wings of MiG-29Ks. The Viraat and its air wing of Sea Harriers are reaching the end of thier life in the Navy. There's no way the New INS Vikrant would be ready for commisioning before 2014. I just hope the Govt works out a middle path for the Navy's sake. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SayethWhaaaa 245 Posted December 9, 2007 Arm twisting tactics by the Russkies. They very well know how much the navy needs this ship and its air wings of MiG-29Ks. The Viraat and its air wing of Sea Harriers are reaching the end of thier life in the Navy. There's no way the New INS Vikrant would be ready for commissioning before 2014.I just hope the Govt works out a middle path for the Navy's sake. Thales, DCN, Navantia and a host of others could, depending on how fast they agree to a design, could produce a fast, light carrier design of 20k to 30k tonnes displacement within 5 years. If they built to mercantile, not military standards as the HMS Ocean was built, they could do so with maybe a 1-2 year delay... assuming of course, the bureaucracy didn't hinder things. It sucks that India, who has been a solid customer and a large reason behind the renaissance of the Russian (Aeronautical) defence arms industry, is getting treated in this way! I mean how many nations operated the Su-27 Flanker (not including former Soviet satellite states) before India threw Rosboro a bone compared with the number of operators after?? The Su-27, despite being an awesome plane, only gained the opportunity to evolve thanks to the support Rosboro garnered from India and later on China... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BUFF 8 Posted December 9, 2007 If they built to mercantile, not military standards as the HMS Ocean was built, they could do so with maybe a 1-2 year delay I think that you'll find that the RN with hindsight may say that's not a good idea .... What would be interesting would be if India was to team up with France & the UK on their carrier programme. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+ghostrider883 526 Posted December 9, 2007 Thales, DCN, Navantia and a host of others could, depending on how fast they agree to a design, could produce a fast, light carrier design of 20k to 30k tonnes displacement within 5 years. If they built to mercantile, not military standards as the HMS Ocean was built, they could do so with maybe a 1-2 year delay... assuming of course, the bureaucracy didn't hinder things. It sucks that India, who has been a solid customer and a large reason behind the renaissance of the Russian (Aeronautical) defence arms industry, is getting treated in this way! I mean how many nations operated the Su-27 Flanker (not including former Soviet satellite states) before India threw Rosboro a bone compared with the number of operators after?? The Su-27, despite being an awesome plane, only gained the opportunity to evolve thanks to the support Rosboro garnered from India and later on China... An italian firm was contracted for the design of the ADS(Air Defence Ship - new INS Vikrant). Once it would be ready, it is slated to have an air wing comprising of Naval LCAs, Ka-31s and MiG-29Ks. There's news today that the Russia has started demanding more money for the already contracted building of three new Krivak III class(Talwar class) stealth frigates slated to be delivered in 2012. India had saved Sukhoi's ass from disaster by ordering the Su-30MKI, the Russians who were rigid on putting anything non-Russian on direct delivery aircraft readily agreed to put Non-Russian components in the aircraft. That at a time when the MiG-29M was slated to be selected over the Sukhoi as the SU was considered too heavy for IAF requirements. The decison to go in for the Su drew heavy flak from retired IAF officials, yet the govt went in for the Su(some say it was due to pressure that Pakis were in negotiations to by Su-27s from Russia). Now the Russkies want India for save MiG's ass(eventhough it has become a part of UAC) by going for the MiG-35. Russia will be shooting itself in the foot if it continues its , as we say in India , "Natak". I wouldn't be surprised if the russkies say "IF you don't want it, go to hell". We will sell it to Pakis . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sparkomatic 7 Posted December 10, 2007 will they be additions or are they planning on retiring some other airframes? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
