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Choppergate may hit Naval projects

As scam-tainted arms major Finmeccanica and its helicopter manufacturing subsidiary AgustaWestland face a 10-year blacklisting prospect, a cloud of uncertainty hangs on the timely completion of indigenous aircraft carrier, which is under development at Cochin Shipyard.

The future of 72 helicopters, which the Navy plans to buy for replacing its old fleet, is also uncertain.

A Finmeccanica group company, Selex ES, was contracted by the Navy in 2011 to supply 3D L Band Air Surveillance Radar (RAN-40L) for the 40,000-tonne aircraft carrier, sources said. Blacklisting will surely strain the IAC programmes, which are already three years behind schedule.

After supplying critical equipment for new airports in Bangalore and Hyderabad, Selex Es is also poised to sell complete target drone systems in India. But it may not happen if the blacklisting is applicable to the entire group.

AgustaWestland is one of the two shortlisted firms in a Rs 5400-crore ($ 1 billion) naval contract to buy 16 multi-role helicopters for replacing old Sea King-42A platforms. US company Sikorsky and European firm NH Industries—in which Agusta has 30 per cent stake—are competing for this bid.

With both companies meeting the technical parameters in trials, the procurement has now entered into the contract negotiation phase, an official told Deccan Herald. If Agusta is blacklisted by the Defence Ministry, Sikosky will have a clear upper hand.

Major bid

Agusta is also competing with other companies in another bid to supply 56 naval utility helicopters for surveillance, anti-terror operations, intelligence gathering or anti-submarine warfare. Once inducted, these 56 NUH will replace the ageing Chetak fleet.

A global tender (request for proposal in military parlance) for 56 naval utility choppers was issued last year and all major players—Boeing, Bell, Sikosky, Eurocopter, Agusta and Kamov—responded to the tender.

A third naval helicopter programme to buy 90 naval multi-role helicopters, however, is being prepared.

Technical specifications (naval staff qualitative requirements) are being evolved by the naval headquarters.

Another Finmeccanica company, Alenia Aermacchi, which manufactures C-27J Spartan twin-engine turboprop tactical transport aircraft, is pitching for India’s Rs 12000-crore plan to buy 56 transport aircraft to replace its vintage fleet of Avro HS-748.

The firm made a pitch for this aircraft at the just-concluded Aero India in Bangalore earlier this month.

Two Bangalore-based defence public sector units—Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited—are long time partners of Selex ES that supply radar and a host of communication and surveillance equipment to the Indian firms