Bharat Rakshak

using the high altitude and high capacity performance of the Mi-26, the World Team quickly flew 300 participants, plus aerial judges, photographers, and cinematographers up to 6,700 metres (22,000 ft), then simultaneously dropped them in a tight formation

Service ceiling: 4,600 m (15,100 ft)

A big controversy has hit the acquisition of 16 Multi-Role Helicopters for the Indian Navy, a deal estimated to be worth around $1 billion, with the Indian Navy accusing European vendor NH Industries (NHI) of trying to “mislead” the defence ministry, “twist” the Naval Staff Qualitative Requirements (NSQRs), “falsify” the Request for Proposal (RFP) and cause delays with “unreasonable que-ries/concerns”. Documents accessed by this newspaper show the Navy criticised the European firm after it raised doubts about the helicopter of its American rival Sikorsky. This new US-European battle for an Indian defence deal is leading to a lot of acrimony.

NHI earlier alleged Sikorsky does not meet the NSQRs for the deal, and complained to the defence ministry. The Navy has now made it clear that both NHI and Sikorsky have met the NSQRs, making them both eligible. The Navy earlier submitted its Field Evaluation Trials (FETs) report to the MoD on acquiring the anti-surface and anti-submarine MRHs. NHI, based in France and with French, German and Italian participation, pitched its NH90 helicopter against Sikorsky’s S70B. NHI earlier raised doubts about the Sikorsky helicopter on various aspects, including dual redundancy, fitment of fuel tanks, full authority automatic flight control system, fuel reserves at the end of mission, sensor functions and usage monitoring system. The Navy has, however, given the Sikorsky helicopter a clean chit.

In its final recommendations and in response to NHI’s allegations, the Navy said: “It emerges that NHI is attempting to mislead the higher authorities and cause delays... with unreasonable queries/concerns. The Indian Navy has evaluated the (NHI) NH90 and (Sikorsky) S70B helicopters, and considers both platforms meet the NSQRs specified in... the RFP.” On NHI’s queries on the Sikorsky helicopter’s “sensor functions” and “fitment of both external and internal fuel tanks”, the Navy said: “It is clearly evident that NHI have twisted the NSQR, thereby falsifying the Request for Proposal on the MRH with an aim to misleading the higher authorities MoD”. NHI had raised doubts on several other features. It said: “(The NSQR) requires no failure of single system should lead to a catastrophic failure. NHI would like to understand how this is demonstrated since the S70B does not have dual redundancy built in to all aircraft flight control systems.”

Above sequence of photos are taken during Rudra's ATGM Helina trials.

^^ Well, caption for pic says:

"...newly-acquired Apache will be restricted to below 12,000 feet..."

^

The MI-35 is restricted to well below 6000 feet and the newly-acquired Apache will be restricted to below 12,000 feet.

if it cannot fly with some payload beyond 17,000ft it cannot fly over the series of high passes along the manali road to demchok region and neither can it deploy from Leh area over the Khardung la to nubra valley/daulat beg oldie or over Chang la to the pangong tso lake region. all of these are 17000ft+

and since neither the C130J or AN32 flying into the ALGs like DBG or Demchok can carry this baby even with rotors removed, it cannot be airlifted in.

I am skeptical if it can be put on a trailer and road carried there whether for a permanent base or wartime fwd basing.

in short it looks totally useless for Ladakh. what exact value does it add vs TSP that a combo of WSI and LCH cannot impart - IAF/IA are afterall getting their choice of imported weapons like mistral and atgm.

not sure what kind of obstacles are there to deploying from north bengal to north sikkim ....

I am afraid such a expensive purchase that cannot be deployed vs our biggest problem is a useless purchase - would be better to just buy more 40 more LCH for the cost of 22 apaches. Nag mmw is also in works, so matter of time before we get Helina mmw.

what exact value does it add vs TSP that a combo of WSI and LCH cannot impart

Ask the 11th Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, US Army: 2003 Attack on Karbala, Iraq

My guess is that there could be that there could be an on-board computer which classifies and prioritizes the threats and based on that triggers the launch of the Countermeasures..

> What other heli do you think could have fared better if it were to be in Apache's place in Karbala?none. it was a wrong decision to send the apaches ahead and acknowledged as such later. we need not repeat the same mistake.

secondly we can afford far more LCH/WSI than 44 apaches (let us say we buy another 22 later)...we can likely put up 2 LCH/WSI for every 1 apache on a cost basis.

That is the point I like to make too. A bad mission does not necessarily mean a bad Heli.


I am not that worried about the cost.
What I am more interested in a Ah-64 is the LongBow. The Attack Helis can be mashed into one complex flight of one longbow for every 4-5 LCHs. I don't know of anything on LCH in the league of longbow yet.



By this we can have a very balanced and pertinent force.
If can somehow manage to use Helina with Longbow, it becomes even more sweeter.

anuary 16, 2012 : As its 3-ton light utility helicopter (LUH) takes shape, HAL has invited bids from global suppliers to design and supply the automatic flight control system (AFCS). HAL has called for the development of a 3-axis simplex digital AFCS that is interfaced with helicopter sensors and stability, controllability and autopilot actuators.

HAL is working hard to meet timelines, considering that it is working to meet an order of 187 units (126 for the Army and 61 for the IAF). Following the first public display of the LUH mock-up in January 2011, HAL is currently in the process of selecting a turboshaft engine for the platform.

In September last year, it opened two bids for Turbomeca's Shakti engine (which powers the ALH Dhruv and Light Combat Helicopter prototypes) and the LHTEC (Rolls-Royce and Honeywell joint venture) T800. In a break from tradition (and its existing agreement with Israel on the Dhruv programme), HAL has asked for indigenously developed designs for the LUH glass cockpit, ensuring that the man-machine interface and avionics of the platform are fully indigenous in an effort to offset the foreign component percentage contributed by the engine and flight control system.

According to HAL, the LUH is being developed for reconnaissance & surveillance (including armed reconnaissance), aerial photography, scout missions in conjunction with attack helicopter(s), NBC monitoring, platform for electronic support measure (ESM), Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) & ElectronicCounter Counter Measures (ECCM), airborne forward air controller (FAC), casualty evacuation, troop transport for military version and commuter role for civil version.

BANGALORE, India, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- India is looking to buy 71 more Russian-made Mi-17 V5 helicopters on top of the 80 on order from the manufacturer Kazan Helicopters.

Indian Defense Minister A. K. Antony formally inducted the first batch of Mi-17 V5 medium-lift choppers into the air force last week, the Press Trust of India reported.

India signed the contract with Kazan in 2008 to supplement its existing fleet of around 150 Mi-8 and Mi-17 helicopters used for cargo and for VIP transport, the PTI report said.

Of the 71 helicopters in the new order, 59 would be for the air force to replace Mi-8 and Mi-17 V aircraft and six would be for border security forces. The remaining six would be sent to police forces around the country, an unnamed air force official told PTI.

Around 60 percent of the Indian air force's 800 helicopters are Russian-made, inducted between 1971 and 2003, a Defense News report said.

The majority of India's military helicopters, nearly 78 percent, are light or medium lift and include the Cheetah, Chetak and Mi series, which are slated for replacement, Defense News said.

Kazan Helicopters, with headquarters in Kazan, capital city the Russian Federation's Republic of Tatarstan, began exporting helicopters in 1956, the company Web site says. More than 3,800 of all variants and series have been delivered to overseas customers and more.

Kazan has made more than 11,000 of the Mi-8 and Mi-17 variants, the company says.

The Mi-17 V aircraft have two Isotov Klimov TV3-117 VM turboshaft engines that offer a cruising speed of around 140 mph and a maximum speed of almost 190 mph.

Maximum internal load is 8,820 pounds and the maximum external load on a sling is 9,920 pounds. In passenger configuration, the Mi-17 carries up to 36 people.

Kazan also makes the larger variants, the Mi-26 with a payload capacity of 20 tons, and the offensive gunship and anti-tank variants, Mi-25 and Mi-35.

As part of the military's replacement program, the Indian army has on order the attack version of the indigenously built advanced light helicopter Rudra, a heavily armed version of the utility helicopter Dhruv, built by Hindustan Aeronautics in Bangalore.

The Dhruv entered service in 2002 and around 160 are believed to have been ordered by the army and navy, a PTI report in September said.

The Dhruv project was announced in 1984 when Hindustan Aeronautics began designing the aircraft with assistance from the German aerospace company Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm.

The Dhruv helicopter carries up to 12 passenger and two pilots sitting side by side, with a maximum takeoff weight of 12,125 pounds. Maximum speed of 180 mph is from two Shakti turboshaft engines or two Turbomeca TM 333-2B2 turboshaft engines. Service ceiling is around 27,500 feet.

if it cannot fly with some payload beyond 17,000ft it cannot fly over the series of high passes along the manali road to demchok region and neither can it deploy from Leh area over the Khardung la to nubra valley/daulat beg oldie or over Chang la to the pangong tso lake region. all of these are 17000ft+

and since neither the C130J or AN32 flying into the ALGs like DBG or Demchok can carry this baby even with rotors removed, it cannot be airlifted in.

I am skeptical if it can be put on a trailer and road carried there whether for a permanent base or wartime fwd basing.

in short it looks totally useless for Ladakh. what exact value does it add vs TSP that a combo of WSI and LCH cannot impart - IAF/IA are afterall getting their choice of imported weapons like mistral and atgm.

not sure what kind of obstacles are there to deploying from north bengal to north sikkim ....

I am afraid such a expensive purchase that cannot be deployed vs our biggest problem is a useless purchase - would be better to just buy more 40 more LCH for the cost of 22 apaches. Nag mmw is also in works, so matter of time before we get Helina mmw.