Ajay Banerjee,Tribune News Service,New Delhi, December 29

The public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has been preferred over the private sector to partner Russian helicopter giant Kamov in producing military helicopters in India. This will be another major defence project with Russian help in India after the MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets, T-90 tanks and Brahmos missiles.HAL-Kamov will produce 200 copters at a cost of nearly Rs 6,500 crore or Rs 32 crore per copter. It will be an inter-governmental deal like the ones earlier for the Russian Sukhoi-30-MKI fighter jets in India or the T-90 tanks. The HAL is owned by the Ministry of Defence and has previous experience at making copters.Earlier, there was talk of a private sector company walking away with the Russian co-production offer. Sources said HAL pipped other private sector aspirants because of its ongoing partnership with French engine-maker Turbomeca for its indigenously developed copter, the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), called the Dhruv. The Kamov 226-T is also fitted with Turbomeca engines, but a different variant. Past experience also weighed in its favour.HAL in the past has licensed-produced the French origin Cheetah/Chetak Light Utility Helicopter (LUH).The twin-engined Kamov 226-T will replace the single-engine Cheetah/Chetak, usually deployed for surveillance, dropping small loads and for rescue, including of troops posted at forbidding heights such as the Siachen Glacier-Saltoro Ridge region.The twin-rotor Kamov 226-T light will also be used for armed reconnaissance, to direct artillery fire on enemy positions and fly in quick reaction teams for special missions. It has a flight ceiling of 18,700 feet — covering almost the entire Siachen Glacier and has a superior carrying capacity.The three services and the Coast Guard currently have 430 Cheetah/Chetaks helicopters. They are based on the 1950s’ designed Alouette Aérospatiale 315B Lama of France and lack modern avionics like instrument landing and omni-directional and ranging systems.The forces need some 800 LUHs over the next decade. The gap will be filled by Kamov 226-T and HAL’sDhruv. The Kamov-HAL joint venture will have an annual production capacity of 30-40 helicopters.Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had in February announced a two-pronged plan to ramp up chopper production in India. Speaking at the Aero-India show, he said the first part was to ramp up capacity at HAL and, the second, to invite foreign participation to collaborate with Indian companies.The first part of expansion of HAL will kick off this Sunday — January 3 —when Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays the foundation stone for HAL’s new helicopter manufacturing facility at Tumkuru, 100 kms from Bengaluru. HAL currently produces just 20 ALH copters every year against the requirement of 100-120 annually. The second part of plan will take off after Kamov-HAL starts producing the LUH.