India seeks to lease four amphibious planes for Navy
They can directly deliver troops, medical teams, relief material, or equipment during emergencies
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has asked international companies to supply four specialised amphibious aircraft that can land and take off from the sea.
The MoD has said it plans to lease four amphibious aircraft for four years for the Navy. It has issued a request for information (RFI) seeking details on the types of aircraft available and their payload capacities.
The move comes almost a decade after India first showed interest in acquiring such aircraft. The US-2 seaplane, produced by Japanese firm ShinMaywa Industries, was shortlisted. In 2018, the Japanese company even signed a pact with Mahindra Defence Systems for the manufacturing and assembly of the ShinMaywa US-2 amphibious aircraft in India. However, the deal did not go through.
The MoD is now seeking to identify probable lessors who can undertake the project. The primary roles of the amphibious aircraft would be operational logistics support, long-range search and rescue, special operations, humanitarian assistance and casualty evacuation. Secondary roles would include anti-piracy, anti-narcotics operations and maritime patrol.
In far-flung regions such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Lakshadweep Islands, these aircraft can provide rapid assistance during maritime accidents, shipwrecks, or natural disasters, and help counter threats such as terrorism, piracy and smuggling. Amphibious aircraft, capable of taking off and landing on both water and conventional runways, are expected to play a crucial role.
They can directly deliver troops, medical teams, relief material, or equipment during emergencies.
