AMN / NEW DELHI
Indian Defence News The Defence Ministry has issued expression of interest to shortlist potential Indian strategic partners and foreign original equipment manufacturers for the procurement of 111 Naval Utility Helicopters (NUH).
An official statement said that Ninety-five helicopters out of the 111 will be manufactured in India by the selected Indian strategic partner. These choppers will replace the Chetak model and will be utilised for search, rescue and evacuation of casualties by air and torpedo drops.
The multi-billion dollar proposal was approved by the Defence Acquisition Council in August last year. The project is likely to provide major boost to the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and fillip to the manufacturing capability for helicopters in India.
The original equipment manufacturers (OEM) have been mandated to set up dedicated manufacturing line, including design, integration and manufacturing processes for NUHs in India and make the Indian Manufacturing Line a global exclusive facility for the NUH platform.
The request for proposal (RFP) for procurement is likely to be issued towards the end of the third quarter of this year to the shortlisted Indian companies, the statement added.