Armed forces raise alert over old helicopters | Economic Times

NEW DELHI: The armed forces have once again sounded the alarm over their ageing and virtually obsolete Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, stressing that the 'total technical life' of these light utility choppers will begin ending from 2023 onwards.They have urged the government to fast-track two long-pending 'Make in India' projects to build such light utility helicopters as well as ensure defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) delivers its own under-development choppers in requisite numbers within the required timeframes.“The defence ministry has been told that a critical operational void is fast emerging due to the vintage single-engine Cheetah and Chetak fleets. The bulk of them are over 40 years old,” said a senior officer on Sunday.The armed forces have been demanding new light choppers for well over 15 years now. The renewed push comes amidst the ongoing military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh, which is already into its fifth month and is likely to stretch through the winter. 78374009Army, IAF and Navy currently have 187 Chetak and 205 Cheetah helicopters, which are used to even service high-altitude areas like the Siachen Glacier region. But they are plagued by a high crash rate and huge serviceability problems. Overall, the three Services together need 483 new light utility helicopters. But the three-pronged approach to acquire them is still stuck in the doldrums.The first is a joint venture between India and Russia, under an inter-governmental agreement inked way back in 2015, to manufacture 200 twin-engine Kamov-226T helicopters (135 for Army, 65 for IAF) for over Rs 20,000 crore.“But five years later, it’s still in the technical evaluation stage. The final contract is far away. There are some problems with the indigenisation levels being offered by Russia. But HAL also needs to get going as the JV partner,” said another officer.HAL, of course, is also developing its own light utility helicopters. The initial requirement was pegged at 111 for Army and 61 for IAF. With the basic IAF variant getting the initial operational clearance (IOC) in February this year, the Army one is now also ready for it, says HAL chief R Madhavan.But given the large numbers required and the production capacity available, military officers contend both the Kamov and HAL projects need to be pushed to avoid a huge operational void over the next few years.The third proposed project is the “strategic partnership” one to produce 111 armed, twin-engine naval utility choppers at a cost of over Rs 21,000 crore. Under it, an Indian private sector company was to tie-up with a foreign manufacturer.Four Indian firms (Tata, Adani, Mahindra Defence and Bharat Forge) and three foreign ones (Airbus, Kamov and Lockheed Martin-Sikorsky) were earlier shortlisted. But with HAL now insisting it should also be considered, the project is nowhere near taking off.