NEW DELHI (AFP) — India will invite international bids to supply 312 light military helicopters and plans to acquire 18 more choppers in a separate global tender, air force chief Fali Major announced on Wednesday.
"The Indian air force plans to acquire two more squadrons (12 units) of attack helicopters and a squadron (six) of heavy-lift choppers," Air Chief Marshal Major told reporters in New Delhi.
"Along with the attack and the heavy-lift helicopters, a global tender would be floated jointly with the army within three months to acquire 312 multi-role light helicopters," Major said.
Earlier Wednesday, other officials said the air force planned to buy 40 Hawk trainer jets for its air force from British Aerospace (BAe) in addition to 66 purchased for 1.45 billion dollars in 2004.
In December, India scrapped a 600-million-dollar deal for 197 helicopters with Eurocopter, the helicopter unit of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), after accusing it of "deviating" from the contract.
Earlier this month, the air force added its requirement of 115 helicopters to the 197 units the army wanted, pushing the value of the deal to one billion dollars and the number of aircraft to 312.
"The addition of the two squadrons of attack gunships and the six heavy-lift choppers will now push the combined worth to 1.4 billion dollars," a senior defence ministry official said on condition that he was not named.
The cancellation of the Eurocopter deal caused dismay in India's military establishment, as the services need modern helicopters for high-altitude missions in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.
"The new helicopters will now offer us the capability to operate in day-and-night conditions as well as at very high altitudes," the air force official added.
The new choppers will replace the vintage fleet of French- and Russian-built helicopters India bought in the 1960s.
Last week, India contacted four aviation firms in France, Italy, Russia and the United States, asking about their ability to supply the 312 helicopters for the armed forces on an "urgent" basis.
Also this month, the air force approved a billion-dollar purchase of six transport planes from US-based aviation giant Lockheed Martin and is likely to hand out a two-billion-dollar contract for eight naval planes to Seattle-based Boeing.
India, which also invited tenders last year for 126 fighter jets worth 10 billion dollars, has emerged as one of the biggest buyers of military equipment among developing countries.
Since 1999, India's military purchases have been worth 25 billion dollars and it is likely to spend another 30 billion dollars by 2012, according to defence experts.
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