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Austrian Alouette-III
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How safe are the Indian Army’s aging fleets of Chetaks (Aerospatiale SA316 Alouette III) and Cheetahs (SE316B Alouette II)? These old designs have consistently proven themselves in high altitude operations, and remain useful as long as their airframes remain safe. The problem is that at their age, the safety margin is pretty slim.

In 2003, India issued an RFP for 197 light helicopters estimating a deal worth between $500-$600 million to buy 60 helicopters outright, with the remaining 137 being built under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Eurocopter’s AS550 C3 Fennec and Bell Textron’s 407 competed in the second and final round of summer trials, and as 2007 ticked toward a close, it looked like we had a winner. As often happens in India, however, the process ended up completely derailed. There’s a new RFP out – but inside lobbying from HAL has backed India off of its initial goal of 312 foreign helicopters.

Bell Helicopter’s withdrawal from the v2.0 RFP made this a smaller competition. Now there are reports that dithering by India’s procurement bureaucracy will make it a late one, even as HAL’s alternatives continue to roll off the lines…

• The Contenders
• Milestones & Developments [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources

Stay on top of India's quest for new light helicopters, when you subscribe to DII. Our coverage includes:

• Background on two complicated rounds of RFPs from India, supplying the army with 197 and the air force with 115
• Review of potential contenders including AgustaWestland, Kamov, Bell Textron, Hindustan Aeronautics
• Extensive links to background articles and source materials
• 7 photos

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