India to buy 135 helicopters for Navy for Rs 42,000 crore

The Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday cleared projects worth Rs 46,000 crore related to acquiring weaponry for the Indian Navy. This includes the acquisition of 24 Lockheed Martin-manufactured MH-60R helicopters, 150 indigenously developed and designed 155mm Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), 111 Naval utility helicopters and 14 vertically-launched short-range missile systems.

As per the report published in NDTV, among the items selected by the government, the most ambitious and advanced is 24 Lockheed Martin-manufactured MH-60R helicopters. This would alone cost the government Rs 21,000 crore and it would be a direct government-to-government deal with the United States worth approximately $1.8 billion. This announcement was made just days ahead of the visit of the US Secretary of Defence James Mattis to New Delhi. Though, no contracts have been signed as of yet.

With the acquisition of MH-60R helicopters, Indian Navy will be able to upgrade its armed support as these helicopters are anti-submarine. These helicopters would replace British-built Sea King helicopters, many of which are more than three-decades-old. As the Sea King helicopters are now obsolete and only 10 are operational, the Indian Navy has been forced to sail its warships without this helicopter support. The new equipment in the Indian Navy would fulfil the long pending demand of upgradation.

Another major acquisition to boost the army’s artillery formations is 150 indigenously developed and designed 155mm Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) at a cost of Rs. 3,364 crore. Considered a breakthrough in indigenous weapons development, these guns — designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) — are currently being extensively tested in high-altitude areas and also desert regions where they will operate. Manufactured by the Kalyani Group and Tata Power SED, the 155mm/52 calibre guns can hit targets more than 40 kilometres away and will now form a primary component of the Indian Army’s artillery formations.

Along with it, the Union government has kicked off the process of acquiring 111 Naval utility helicopters through the strategic partnership model, costing Rs 21,000 crore. This is a ‘Make In India’ programme and will take several years to roll out. the Navy will shortlist the helicopters based on its needs, as aviation majors including Airbus, Kamov and Bell have offered helicopters in addition to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. They will do an extensive evaluation process which will be followed by a contract where most of these helicopters will need to be built in the country in conjunction with local partners.

Also, the Navy started the process of acquiring 14 vertically-launched short-range missile systems, 10 of which will be made in India. These anti-missile systems, to be fitted on the warships in Navy’s made-in-India Project 28 Class corvettes, are considered essential in defending a warship against attacks from anti-ship missiles fired by enemy aircraft, warships and submarines. However, these will be inducted only after trials, evaluation and tendering, which would take a few years before the acquisition.

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