Rosoboronexport Hopeful Of Winning India’s Heavy-Lift Competition

Russian arms manufacturer Rosoboronexport is expecting to win the Indian Air Force’s heavy lift helicopter tender on a higher payload capacity. The competition is down to Rosoboronexport’s Mi-26T2 and Boeing Ch47F Chinook. The payload of the Mi-26T2 is 5000kg or 70-100 passengers while the Chinook’s cargo capacity is only 12,700 kg or 35-50 troops. Boeing, which is already a finalist in the attack helicopter tender with its Apache choppers, is hoping to make it a twin achievement with the heavy lift order too. Boeing is expecting to win based on the CH-4F's exceptional flight record, the after sales and service support it is hoping to provide. “There are good prospects for cooperation in the helicopter technology area. Besides large-scale deliveries of the Mi-17 type military transport helicopters Russia is taking part in two tenders for supply of 15 heavy-lift helicopters and 197 reconnaissance-and-observation helicopters,” Rosoboronexport said in a statement. "In the first tender Rosoboronexport offers the unique Mi-26T2 helicopter world-famous for its lifting capacity. As is known, Russian Mi-26s flew many transport missions in Afghanistan on evacuation of downed or failed Chinook helicopters. Russian pilots were commended by the US President for one such mission performed in 2009,” the company added. The Mi-26T2 is the world's largest helicopter featuring an upgraded new glass cockpit, advanced airborne radio-electronic equipment and navigation system. Compared with the Ch-4F’s gross weight of 22,668 kg, the Mi-26T2 has a maximum take-off weight of 56,000 kg’. "The bids for the heavy-lift helicopters were opened a few weeks ago and the IAF is currently evaluating the life cycle costing for 15 of these machines,” said Indian chief Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne. According to reports, a decision will be taken in the next few months, unless one of the vendors has given incomplete replies for which clarifications would be required and that would add to the time needed.