Indo-Russia Kamov copter deal hits hurdle

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 22

India and Russia are having a disagreement over the joint production of Kamov-226T light-utility helicopter that was announced as the first major ‘Make in India’ project some five months ago.

The two long-standing military allies are facing hurdles as Russia is yet to give approval for the project. Top sources told The Tribune that pricing of the copter and related technology transfer through a private Indian partner were the two stumbling blocks.

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New Delhi is not satisfied with the price being asked by the Russian side, sources said. The terms of having a private partner were part of the inter-government agreement inked in October 2016 during the Narendra Modi-Vladimir Putin meeting in Goa. It was first announced in December 2015 that Kamov-226T will be copter of choice. 

The Russians have public sector giant Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) as the Indian partner, but the Ministry of Defence is looking to have private sector Indian investors to share a part of the contract that India has to execute under a joint venture with Moscow.

The Indian side will hold 50.5 per cent stake in the joint venture, of which the private sector companies will be strategic partners with HAL. The private partners could be doing various tasks of making the copter at HAL’s Bangalore facility. The HAL will remain the lead integrator of the copter, sources said.

The HAL is owned by the Ministry of Defence and has previous experience of making copters. The Indian forces need some 800 light utility helicopters over the next decade, a demand which cannot be fulfilled by the HAL alone. The Indo-Russia joint venture aims to have an annual production capacity of 40-60 helicopters. Under the India-Russia agreement, the Kamov engine will involve a separate partnership. Kamov uses French engine-maker Turbomeca’s power plant. The HAL already has a partnership with the same French company to produce engines for its indigenously developed copter, the advanced light helicopter, called Dhruv. The Kamov 226T is also fitted with Turbomeca engines, but a different variant.

The twin-engine Kamov 226T will replace the single-engine Cheetah/Chetak, usually deployed for surveillance, dropping small loads and for rescue, including of troops posted at forbidding heights such as the Siachen Glacier-Saltoro Ridge region.

The three services and the Coast Guard currently have 430 Cheetah/Chetaks helicopters. They are based on the 1950s’ designed Alouette Aérospatiale 315B Lama of France.