India to Purchase 75 Naval Helicopters

09.04.2012 Indian defense ministry requested helicopter producers to inform about available models and formalize commercial offers in the nearest future, reports ITAR-TASS.

Indian Navy needs over 75 multipurpose helicopters, said George Barton, vice president of Lockheed Martin Corporation. As for him, that would be the world's largest tender for combat helicopters.

According to ITAR-TASS, the tender for 16 multipurpose helicopters is in progress. The competitors are C-70 (Sikorsky Aircraft, USA) and NH90 (Eurocopter, France and Germany).

Deputy Director of Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation (Russia) Alexander Fomin said on March 28 that Russian helicopter Ka-226T had passed into final stage of the tender for 197 reconnaissance and observation helicopters for Indian Air Force and Army. Kamov's competitor is AS550 C3 Fennec produced by Eurocopter.