Bell in race for Indian Army's 60-copter deal
Friday, 03 December 2004, 20:30 IST
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BANGALORE: Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., the US-based world's leading helicopter manufacturer, is in the race for selling about 60 high-altitude helicopters to the Indian Army. Bell, which has been selling a range of helicopters in India's civilian sector, has bid for a global tender floated by the army to acquire 60 seven-seat helicopters for operational and logistic duties in high-altitude areas like Kargil and Siachen in Jammu and Kashmir. "We have been short-listed for evaluation. The selection process is expected to be completed by mid-2005," B.S. Singh Deo, country head of the $1.6-billion firm, told reporters here Wednesday. "If we bag the multimillion dollar order, we will licensing the production of the Bell 407 helicopter to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) as part of the tender contract for making them in India. Eurocopter, the France-based European consortium, and Kamov of Russia are the two other bidders for the military order. "The 2.4-tonne Bell 407 has flown up to 25,000 feet. With a range of 300 nautical miles, it can land and take off even in high altitudes and mountain regions, flying at 140 knots an hour," Deo said at the new Deccan Aviation customer service facility at Jakkur on the outskirts of the city. The defence tender process makes it mandatory for the winning bidder to produce the helicopters in India for meeting future requirements of the armed forces. The Indian Army alone will need about 200 high-altitude helicopters in coming years. Bell has already sold 13 Bell 407 helicopters in the Indian civilian market to corporates, private airlines and other customers. This month, Bell will deliver two more helicopters, one each to Reliance Industries and Pawan Hans, at a cost of $2 million each. Since its entry in India in 1993-94, Texas-based Bell has sold about 50 helicopters, including the 206 and 212 models to civilian customers. According to Bell vice-president (Asia-Pacific) Max Wiley, the firm has sold about 600 such helicopters worldwide, including 100 this year. "The Bell 407 is one of the fastest selling aviation products. It is equipped with the latest avionics and can fly non-stop at up to 500 km with one refuelling," Wiley said. The Indian Army currently uses the Cheetah and Chetak helicopters for ferrying troops and replenishing food and ammunition in the Kargil, Drass and Siachen sectors.
Source: IANS
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