India Says Its Nuke-Missile-Carrying Submarine Fully Operational

The INS Arihant is India’s lone nuclear submarine equipped with a B-O5 Submarine Launched Strategic Missile (SLBM) having a range of 650 km. Indian scientists have been developing longer range SLBMs which will provide the country with a much-needed capability to take down long-range targets from underwater.

India has joined the league of select countries that have fully operational submarine-launched strategic missile systems capable of hitting targets with nuclear warheads at a range of 650 kilometers. Before this, such technologies were available only in the US, Russia, China and France.

A formal announcement of this achievement was made by Nirmala Sitharaman, India's minister of defense, who felicitated A Joseph and M Ugender Reddy, the two scientists who developed the missiles, during the annual award ceremony of the Defence Research Development Organisation in New Delhi on Monday.

Scientists have tested B05 missiles from a submarine after successful trials from an underwater pontoon off Visakhapatnam's coastline in January 2013. India has already deployed the submarine-launched version of the B05 at INS Arihant. Indian scientists are currently in the process of developing the land version of the missile.

"It is an indigenous missile with several innovative designs and a unique mechanism. Numerous critical technologies were proved in the successful trials, which paved the way for developing other long-range strategic missiles and has the potential to be launched from submarine, ship, and land," the citation of the award reads.

Indian defense scientists have also been testing longer-range K-series submarine-launched strategic missiles for the past few years. The long range (3,500 kilometers) K-4 missiles have so far been tested three times successfully from underwater pontoons, but the last test from a pontoon in December 2017 failed as the missile did not activate properly during the test.

India has also started working on the K-5, which has a range of 5,000 kilometers, as well as the K-6, with its range of up to 6,000 km, for nuclear-powered submarines.

 sputniknews

India becomes 5th country in world to have fully operational submarine-launched nuclear missile

India has a fully operational submarine-launched missile that is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. As and is the process of developing a similar missile that can be launched from land with a range of about 600 km. The land version will complete the Agni and Prithvi series of indigenously developed nuclear missiles.
The scientists who developed this series of missiles, named BO5, were felicitated at the annual award ceremony of the Defence Research Development Organisation in New Delhi today by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
A Joseph and M Ugender Redddy, who developed the BO5 and land version of that missile were today given the "DRDO award for performance excellence" by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharamam.
The citation of the award said "It is an indigenous missile with several innovative designs and unique mechanism. Numerous critical technology were proved in the successful trials which paved the way for developing other long-range submarine-launched Strategic Missiles and has the potential to launched from Submarine, Ship and Land."
The successful induction of the submarine-launched nuclear missile completes India Nuclear Triad, or the ability to launch nuclear missiles from land, air and from underwater should the need arise.
Ability to fire nuclear missiles from submarines is a critical component in executing India's stated nuclear policy of "No First Use" of nuclear weapons. It effectively means that India can launch a nuclear counter-attack from assets positioned deep underwater after a nuclear attack has destroyed much of its capability on land and air.
The launch of the B05 missile from an underwater pontoon, an underwater submersible vehicle that recreates conditions of launching the missile from a submarine, had been made public. The BO5 missiles were launched from a pontoon off the Visakhapatnan in January 2013. The fact that they had been successfully tested from a submarine had, however, had not been publicised.
Top sources also confirmed to India Today that the BO5, the submarine version of the missile, has been successfully tested from a submarine. India has at least one operational nuclear-powered submarine that is capable of launching nuclear weapons. The submarine-launched version of BO5 is now believed to have been deployed as well.
India is the fifth country to have the capability to launch a nuclear missile from a submarine. It joins a small club of nations that include USA, Russia, China and France. The land version of the BO5 hasn't, however, been named. "It is a spin-off from the submarine-launched version," top sources confirmed to Indian Today.
Handing over the prizes to scientist Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharamam said "Prime Minister Modi has stressed on indigenisation. Defence manufacturing cannot be done on borrowed technology."
India already has Agni and Privithi series of nuclear missiles. "The land version of BO5 is cheaper because of advancements made in fuel technology," sources said explaining the significance and need to have another version of land launched nuclear missiles.

 indiatoday

Army moving towards procuring mounted gun system, trying to revalidate project

In its latest efforts to equip its artillery regiments with news guns, the Indian Army is finally moving towards procuring 814 of the ‘mounted gun system’- a gun mounted on a wheeled vehicle- a project worth about Rs 15,750 crore.

The army is trying to ‘re-validate’ the project and seek a fresh Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) from the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by the defence minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, ministry officials explained.

The AoN is the first step towards procuring an equipment. In this case, the AoN for acquiring the 155mm/52 caliber mounted gun system for the army for Rs 15,750 crore was given in November 22, 2014 by the DAC headed by the then defence minister Manohar Parrikar. For the army, the gun is a major requirement, as once procured they will be deployed along the western frontier with Pakistan and the eastern one with China.

“But the Request for Proposal (RFP) was not issued within the validity period of the AoN and so the AoN had lapsed. Therefore the army will revalidate the case and seek a fresh AoN, which will restart the process,” explained officials.

A RFP is a document which elaborates on the general requirements of an equipment, the numbers required, time frame for deliveries, maintenance and training among other requirements. It enables vendors to make their offer after considering the requirements of the acquisition.

According to the Defence Procurement Procedure-2016, “the AoN would lapse for all cases where the RFP for the approved quantity is not issued within the original validity period of AoN”. In such cases, the service headquarters (in this case the army) would have to re-validate the case and seek fresh AoN with due justification for not processing the case in time.

The army, which has had a need for this type of gun for a decade, had announced its interest in it in 2013. It had proposed that Indian vendors who can undertake the project come forward with the required information, such as on the gun’s dimensions, the crew that will operate it, ammunition to be used, vehicle characteristics and the range.

Reports claim that there are several private contenders for the project. Even the government owned, Ordnance Factory Board, had exhibited its mounted gun system at the Defexpo 2018 held in Chennai last month.

The gun is part of the Army’s Rs 50,000 crore Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan, which was drawn in 1999 and seeks to arm the artillery regiments with a mix of about 3000 guns by 2027. The projection also includes towed guns, self propelled guns and ultra light howitzers.

 economictimes

IAF to give its Tejas jets the Meteor missile edge

Seeking to enhance the capability of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, the Indian Air Force is planning to equip it with a long-range missile of the Meteor class which will help it get an edge over the jets of the adversaries.

The missiles are required to be equipped on the 83 Mark 1A LCAs for which an order has been placed by the air force with the public sector unit Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.


“The request for proposal has asked the aircraft to be equipped with a long range beyond visual range missile of the class of Meteor which can take out enemy aircraft in the range of more than 100 kilometres. This would help the LCA get an edge over the aircraft with adversaries,” said government sources.

The LCA Mark 1A, which will be lesser capable than the LCA Mark 2 which is under development by the DRDO agencies, lacks certain capabilities when compared to the other planes but with a longer range missile, it can take down the enemy aircraft without coming in their striking ranges, the sources added.

Both Pakistan and China do not have a missile in the range of the Meteor which has been developed by a European consortium and would be equipped with the Rafale combat planes that are being acquired from France by India. India has bought a package of the European Meteor missiles along with the Rafales and may prove to be game changers due to their beyondvisual-range striking capability of over 100 km.

The sources said that till the Kargil war and a few years after that, the Indian Air Force had complete superiority over the Pakistan Air Force as it did not have any beyond-visualrange missile fitted on their F-16s or the Chinese supplied planes.

The Meteor missile was not part of the Rafale deal that was being done by the UPA government but when Modi decided to go in for an emergency procurement of the Rafale planes from France, the IAF desired to include the Meteors as part of the weapons package.

During the Kargil War, the Indian side had two beyond-visual-range missiles which included the French S530D and the Russian RVV AE missile which deterred the Pakistanis from using its fighter plane fleet in the Kargil war with India, the sources said.

“The over-arching consideration was the BVR missile capability of IAF fighters which impinged unfavourably on the mission success probability,” former Pakistan Air Force officer air commodore Kaiser Taufel had written in his blog about the war.

“One good thing about the Meteor is that it has not yet been integrated with any American-origin aircraft and the Pakistani F-16s or the Chinese-origin JF-17s can’t get them in the times to come as well. The possibility of the Chinese integrating them is also ruled out,” a source said.

 indiatoday

Army finalises Rs 15,000-crore ammunition production project

After years of deliberations, the Army has finalised a mega Rs 15,000-crore project under which a range of ammunition for its critical weapons and tanks will be produced indigenously to overcome long delays in imports and address the problem of a dwindling stockpile.

Official sources told that 11 private firms would be involved in the ambitious project, the implementation of which is being monitored by the top brass of the Army and the Defence Ministry.

The immediate aim of the closely guarded project -- said to be the biggest ever initiative for the indigenisation of ammunition -- is to create an inventory for all major weapons to enable the forces to fight a 30-day war while the long-term objective is to cut dependence on imports.

"The overall cost of the project has been pegged at Rs 15,000 crore and we have set a specific target for the next 10 years in terms of the volume of ammunition to be produced," a senior government official involved in the project said, refusing to elaborate further.

Initially, ammunition for a range of rockets, air defence system, artillery guns, infantry combat vehicles, grenade launchers and various other field weapons would be produced under "strict timelines", a source said.

The production targets would be revised based on the result of the first phase of the implementation of the programme.

The sources indicated the broad contours of the project were discussed at a conference of the Army's top commanders here last month.

The initiative is seen as the first serious attempt by the government to address growing concerns voiced over the last many years by defence forces over the fast dwindling stockpile of key ammunition when China has been significantly ramping up its military capability, an issue that has been discussed by successive governments.

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has been pushing for fast tracking the procurement of weapons and ammunition for the world's second largest standing Army, considering the evolving security threats in the region.

"The indigenisation of the ammunition project will be biggest such programme in decades," said the official.

In July last year, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), in a report tabled in Parliament, said a stock of only 61 types of ammunition out of 152 varieties was available, and these would only last for 10 days in the event of a war.

According to laid down security protocol, the stockpile should be adequate for a month-long war.

The sources said long delays in negotiations and subsequent procedural hurdles in the import of ammunition had adversely impacted the country's defence preparedness and that was why the indigenisation programme had been initiated.

Last year, the government had empowered the Army to directly procure ammunition and spares for 10 types of weapon systems and equipment after an internal review found the optimum level of "war stores" was not being maintained.

Considering the Army's demand, the government has already finalised one of the biggest procurement plans for infantry modernisation under which large numbers of light machine guns, battle carbines and assault rifles are being purchased at a cost of nearly Rs 40,000 crore.

 economictimes

Even parachute cloth not available in India to meet full requirement, says DGOF

Expressing concern over the state of defence manufacturing in India, Director General of Ordnance Factories S K Chourasia said today that even the parachute cloth is not available in the country to meet the "full requirement".

 Expressing concern over the state of defence manufacturing in India, Director General of Ordnance Factories S K Chourasia said today that even the parachute cloth is not available in the country to meet the “full requirement”. Addressing the ‘Defence Conclave 2018’ organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry in Ahmedabad, Chourasia said entrepreneurs in Gujarat should focus on entering the defence manufacturing sector. 

He said India received some of the parts of the tanks it manufactures about 30 years ago from Russia. “Still, we have to import some items.

Simple items like parachute cloth is still not available in our country to meet the full requirement,” he said. Chourasia, who is also the chairman of the Ordnance Factory Board, said India still imports 50 per cent of its total defence requirements. “Our comfort zone is readily available technology and infrastructure. That segment is considered (getting attention). But the segment (for) which the country is still importing is not being considered sometimes,” he said. ”

As a result, the percentage of imports is not reducing… This leads to over-competition as technology is available and we have many players. And where technology is not available, there is under-competition. As a result, we have to import,” he said.
Raising the same issue, Air Marshal R K Dhir, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South West Air Command, said there was an urgent need to build capacity for self-reliance in defence technology. He called for synergy and active interaction between end-users and manufacturers. Though “strong research and development” facilities are available in the country, Defence Research and Development Organisation is not able to retain talent in R&D, he said.
“For R&D activity, defence budget allocation is just 5 per cent. Only that much goes into R&D in India. The same is almost 15 per cent in France,” he said. He urged entrepreneurs, especially those from Gujarat, to tap the vast potential of the defence manufacturing sector.

 financialexpress

India to buy 25 BMP-2 fitted with Antitank NAG Guided Missiles

India`s military is planning to acquire 25 Nag BMP-2-based self-propelled anti-tank guided missile (SPATGM) systems under a US$70 million contract, according to the Economic Times newspaper. “Reports claim that the Indian Ministry of Defense [MoD] has cleared the procurement of 300 Nag [anti-tank] missiles and 25 modified NAMICA BMP-2-based carrier vehicles,” the newspaper says.

In a statementon April 28, the MoD said, “In a boost to indigenisation and in realisation of India’s growing technological prowess, the DAC approved procurement of Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO’s) designed and developed NAG Missile System (NAMIS) at the cost of Rs 524 crore

“The system includes a third generation Anti-Tank Guided Missile, the NAG, along with the Missile Carrier Vehicle (NAMICA). The NAG missile is a third generation anti-tank guided missile, which has top attack capabilities that can effectively engage and destroy all known enemy tanks during day and night. This will give a quantum boost to the Army’s capability against enemy armour.”

The Nag ATGM is an anti-tank missile of the third generation with enhanced top-attack capabilities. According to the open sources, the weapon has a weight of 42 kg, a length of 1.90 m, and a diameter of 190 mm. The Nag is armed with an 8 kg tandem warhead. The ground-based variant of the missile has a launch range of 500-4,000 m and a speed of 230 m/s. The weapon is fitted with an imaging infra-red (IIR)/active radar seeker.

The NAMICA (Nag Missile Carrier) SPATGM is based on the BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle and armed with eight ready-to-use containerized anti-tank missiles.

TASS

Two major weapons manufacturers exit Indian army’s small arms tender

The Indian army quest to equip its soldiers with modern rifle and carbines suffered a setback this week when two major weapons manufacturers, US gunmaker Colt and Italys Beretta, pulled out of the contest. Both Colt and Beretta were offering weapons for the 7.62×51 mm battle rifle and the 5.56×45 mm carbine requirements. The two companies were not among the dozen-odd firms which had responded to the Indian armys Request for Proposals (RFP) by May 7.

While the exact reasons for the pullout are not known, at least one of the manufacturers is believed to have written a letter to the army citing unrealistic timeframes and stiff financial clauses.


The army plans to import 72,000 assault rifles and 94,000 carbines on a fast track basis for over Rs 3,500 crore. It had issued RFPs on 17 global arms manufacturers in February this year citing urgent operational requirements for its troops. These small arms are meant to replace the armys stock of INSAS rifles and vintage Sterling 9 mm carbines. A fast track procedure bypasses the lengthy trial process associated with regular purchases. The army hopes to complete the acquistion of all the weapons in 12 months, a time frame stipulated by the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016.

The bids from the other firms in the assault rifle and carbien tenders are believed to have been opened on May 8 and the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) that convened on May 10 and is to submit its report in 10 days.

Global arms makers have been largely lukewarm to the armys small arms procurement. Two of the largest gunmakersFN Herstal of Belgium and Germanys Heckler & Koch did not even participate in the small arms tender.

Some clauses in the contract which have made it unappealing to foreign vendors include parking nearly 15 per cent of the value of the contract as a performance bank guarantee, the removal of the force majeur clause which allows a manufacturer to suspend a contract due to unforseen consequences like war or a natural disaster.The foreign vendors too have to secure export licenses from their own governments in the limited time available. Other clauses which make the contract unappealing are clauses for the winning firm to deliver the first batch of 25,000 weapons (assault rifle and carbines) in the first nine months and the remainder within three months. This deadline can be extended only by another three months after which financial penalties kick in.

It doesnt make commercial sense for us to participate in the tender, said the representative of a leading small arms firm said at the biennial Defexpo India 2018 inaugurated in Chennai on April 12. The army is also looking to buy 5,719 sniper rifles and 17,000 light machine guns. Israel Weapons Industries (IWI) is the only small arms firm in the reckoning for all three infantry weapon types battle rifles, carbines and light machine guns.

The new RFPs for rifles and carbines is the armys third attempt to buy new small arms since it decided to replace its indigenous but glitch-prone INSAS rifles in 2007. The process has been delayed by the armys own changing requirements. Between 2011 and 2017 the army issued three requirements for small arms, or roughly one every two years.

The first tender in 2011, for a dual-caliber rifle chambered for two types of ammunition (7.62×39 mm and 5.56x 45 mm) was withdrawn in 2015. A second attempt, in 2015, to buy modified INSAS 1C rifles was scrapped after the army opted for a battle rifle chambered for the heavier 7.62×51 mm round.

 indiatoday

Israeli super radars set to give desi LCA fighter jet enhanced combat capability

The home grown Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is set to be equipped with Israeli super radars that will give it the combat edge to engage multiple air and ground targets simultaneously. Israeli firm ELTA is likely to shortly bag an order for a new set of AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radars for an air force order of 83 LCA Mk 1A jets.

The Israeli firm appears to have beat off competition from French firm Thales for the contract that has been in the works since 2016. Sources said that advanced negotiations are now on to finalise the contract at the earliest for early delivery of the combat enhanced jets to the Indian Air Force.

The ELTA radar is a derivate of the EL/M-2052 Active Electronically Scanning Array (AESA) that has also been equipped onboard the Jaguar DARIN III fighter jets of the air force. It has been selected for the LCA program ahead of the French Thales RBE2 radar derivative. Earlier, other suitors including the Americans and Swedes dropped out of the competition.

The integration of an AESA radar is a pre requisite to the air force order that also mandates equipping the fighters with beyond visual range missiles and an electronic warfare suite. The radars give much more range and engagement potential to fighters, enabling them to engage targets from a distance without getting detected. The AESA will give the LCA an edge over fighter of a similar weight category that are operating in the region with conventional radars.

The Jaguar DARIN III is India’s first fighter jet to be equipped with AESA radars with 58 of them being integrated currently onto the fleet. The deep penetration fighter fleet got a big upgrade with the new radars, significantly increasing the air force’s capability to carry out cross border strikes.

AESA radars have replaced conventional systems at the heart of all modern fighter aircraft – be it the Dassault Rafale and Boeing F/A 18 other than fifth generation jets like the F 22 and F 35.

 economictimes

Hope order for fighter jet is actually placed, says Boeing

Boeing, which is competing with several global majors to clinch the Indian Air Force’s order for 110 fighter jets, is investing millions of dollars to create an ecosystem for making its product—F/A-18 Super Hornets—in India. The US-based company hopes that the order is actually placed, as it could otherwise derail the government’s plan of indigenizing its defence programme.

Building a modern weapons system like a fighter aircraft is a very complex endeavour, Boeing India president Pratyush Kumar said in an interview.

“Firms pitching for the product need to work for few years to build partnerships, stitch together an ecosystem, to be able to build the product in the country. This costs millions of dollars,” Kumar said. “Major companies (pitching products) will be frustrated if the order does not happen, though the actual investment will be made only after the order is in place.”

Failure to place the order could see the collapse of various partnerships and ecosystems set up for indigenizing the defence programme, he said.

The Indian Air Force had in April set in motion the process of acquiring a fleet of 110 fighter jets, one of its largest orders in recent years, to shore up its fast-depleting squadron strength. The order for 110 fighter jets is estimated to be worth $15 billion, according to a Bloomberg report.

Leading military aircraft producers, including US firms Lockheed Martin and Boeing, Sweden’s Saab and France’s Dassault Aviation, are among those likely to bid for the mega deal.

For the potential airforce order, Boeing has tied up with Mahindra Defence System and state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) for producing F/A-18 Super Hornets. It has also spent millions of dollars to create an ecosystem around building the product in India, by building a supplier network.

Kumar estimates that Boeing would need up to 400 suppliers to make the aircraft in India, compared with about 800 suppliers stationed in the US that help the company build the fighter jet in that country.

“A lot of capabilities need to be created in India to build and support the ecosystem around the aircraft (F/A-18 Super Hornet). We need test and assembly centres, which we plan to establish with partnership with our partners. Then comes training the crew, maintenance, providing ground support to maintain the aircraft, modernisation and repair, engineering capabilities, which would need a huge ecosystem, creating which is costing us millions of dollars,” Kumar said.

The company’s investment in India to build its product here could run into billions of dollars and would depend on the number of aircraft the government finally decides to purchase, he said.

Boeing has also responded to the Indian Navy’s Request for Information (RFI) in 2017 to purchase 57 fighter jets, which is estimated to cost about $5-6 billion, Kumar said. The company has pitched its F/A-18 Super Hornets for the navy’s fighter jet requirements.

“The F/A-18 Super Hornet is a multi-role fighter jet and will not require change of platform for the air force and navy. The deal size is about $6 billion, according to the navy,” Kumar said.

“Recently, we have seen a much more over leaning stance of US government, that makes me confident that there will be something compelling on the table,” Kumar said.

Boeing expects the Indian commercial aviation space to grow rapidly as more Indians belonging to the middle class start flying, which is expected to drive up growth for decades to come.

“The government’s regional connectivity scheme is getting more people to fly especially from the smaller towns and cities,” Kumar said, adding that unless something dramatic happens like oil prices going to $150 a barrel, India’s growth story is expected to continue.

 livemint

Indian Army may procure more Akash missile systems from DRDO

The Indian Army is likely to order another batch of Akash missiles, India’s first indigenously built surface-to-air missile developed by the DRDO. The Indian Army, which has shown immense interest in the Akash missile system, is very satisfied with its operational capabilities and performance, reported The Hindu. Speaking to the media Lt. Gen Parminder Singh S Jaggi, Director General, Army Air Defence had said that the defence forces were fully satisfied with the performance of Akash system and that they were also intending to enhance its performance.

However, it was also reported in 2016, that the Indian Army had rejected the indigenously built Akash missiles. The Indian Army in 2016, had said that it would not procure more Akash missiles and that it would instead go for the Israeli quick reaction surface-to-air missiles(QR SAMs). It had said that the Akash defence missile systems had not met its operational requirements in defending enemy air attacks in the forward areas. But, the Indian Army today seems to be convinced by its capabilities and is likely to procure more missile systems, reported DNA. The Indian Army continues to maintain the existing order for six firing Akash batteries with hundred missiles each and the deal was fixed for Rs 14,180 crore.

Akash missile is a medium-range surface-to-air missile which can simultaneously engage multiple targets in all kinds of weather conditions. The Akash system features a launcher, a missile, an integral mission guidance system, autopilot system, C4I centres, and also a multifunctional radar. Its system is also equipped with batteries with control centre and radars which help in tracking targets. For further efficiency, the system is also integrated with a self-destructive device.

The missile launched from this system can fly at a supersonic speed ranging from 2.8 Mach to 3.5 Mach. Its range capability is approximately 25 km. The Akash missile is being developed by the DRDO under the integrated guided-missile development programme (IGMDP). Inducted first in the May 2015, Akash missile system has faced many difficulties, but has emerged as one of best surface-to-air missile system after it was successfully tested in December 2017.

 financialexpress

Navalized Ka-226T Could Boost Indo-Russian Deal

Russian Helicopters has confirmed that the Indian Navy is considering a navalized version of the Kamov Ka-226T. The service is seeking a Naval Utility Helicopter (NUH) for search-and-rescue, humanitarian relief, coastal patrol, monitoring, and counterterror operations. India has already agreed to acquire 200 Ka-226Ts to meet the Air Force and Army’s Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopter (RSH) requirement.

The Ka-226T was not originally listed by the Navy as a competitor for the LUH, but Chief of Naval staff Admiral Sunil Lamba confirmed the change of mind. India “would save much money due to our joint project on local assembly of the type,” Sergei Chemezov, head of Rostec, commented in January. He explained that the Navy would benefit from a common program for training of flight and ground crews.

Rostec is the parent organization of Russian Helicopters and the Rosoboronexport arms sales agency. The latter two are minority shareholders in Indo-Russian Helicopters Limited (IRHL), which was established in May 2017 to produce the Ka-226T in Tumakuru, near Bangalore. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is the majority (55 percent) shareholder.

An Indian MoD delegation last month inspected the Kamov design house and the Russian Helicopters factory at Ulan-Ude. This is where the first 60 Ka-226Ts for India will be produced before licensed production of another 140 is undertaken at Tumakuru. The Indian and Russian heads of state signed the 200-helicopter deal in December 2015.

Russian Helicopters general manager Andrei Boginsky said he hopes for expansion of the license project following shipments of six navalized Ka-226TMs to Russia’s Federal Security Service (local acronym FSB). They have foldable blades for compact storage in a ship hangar; special marine avionics; night vision and other mission equipment; and a mount for a 7.62-mm machine gun.

Kamov first proposed a navalized Ka-226 back in 2005, but initially, the FSB looked at European models to equip its coastal patrol corvettes. Following the chill in East-West relations, the service placed the contract for the six Ka-226TMs in November 2015. The last pair of these was delivered last month. “The Ka-226T has proved its merits in the tough conditions of the sea,” claimed Boginsky.

The Ka-226 features a flying chassis design complete with detachable cabin modules seating up to six passengers or carrying mission equipment. First flown in 1997 and operational since 2002, the type did not meet customers’ expectations until 2011, when the Ka-226T version was introduced with more powerful Turbomeca Arrius 2G1 engines. Of the 70 delivered to date, 40 have gone to the Russian Air and Space Force (VKS), twenty to other Russian government agencies, and the remainder to various civilian organizations.

 ainonline