Indian Military

[Stratpost]

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified the US Congress, last week, of its approval for the possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of radars, weapons and engines in the event of a possible Direct Commercial Sale of 22 AH-64D Block III Apache helicopters to India.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is looking for 22 attack helicopters through a tender, where Boeing’s Apache is up against the Russian Mi-28, and in the event the former is selected, some components of the aircraft will have to be purchased through an FMS.

“This notification is being made in advance so that, in the event that the Boeing- US Army proposal is selected, the United States might move as quickly as possible to implement the sale,” says the the statement issued by the US DSCA.

According to the statement, the FMS components to be supplied along with the direct commercial sale of 22 AH-64D Block III Apache helicopters would include ’50 T700-GE-701D engines, 12 AN/APG-78 Fire Control Radars, 12 AN/APR-48A Radar Frequency Interferometers, 812 AGM-114L-3 Hellfire Longbow missiles, 542 AGM-114R-3 Hellfire II missiles, 245 Stinger Block I-92H missiles, and 23 Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensors’.

[Stratpost]

The Indian Air Force (IAF) trials for an estimated USD 2 billion order for 22 attack and 15 heavy lift helicopters have been held up because the Russian contenders in the two shortlists have failed to arrive in India.

Senior IAF officials said on Monday that for reasons that were, as yet, unclear, the Russian Mil Mi-28 and the Mi-26 helicopters had not been cleared to come to India for trials. The trials for both categories of aircraft began in July.

IAF officials have chosen not to label this a delay and deny they’ve set any deadline for the Russian aircraft to arrive for trials, even though this could put the two acquisition contests in limbo. Boeing’s Apache AH-64D attack helicopter and the Chinook heavy lift helicopter are the other aircraft in the competition.

The IAF would, presumably, want to prevent the process of acquisition of the two types of aircraft from being jeopardized by the withdrawal of the Russian helicopters from the contest.

[Stratpost]

The Indian Air Force (IAF) began trials for the AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter last week. IAF sources confirmed that the aircraft, which is competing with the Russian Mi-28 for the IAF’s tender for 22 attack helicopters, has already completed trials in Jaisalmer and is currently undergoing high altitude, flight and maneuverability demonstrations at Leh.

The trials are expected to continue till the end of next week, after which the Mi-28 is expected to be given a similar once-over. The maintenance and weapons trials of the former will be conducted in the United States in the coming weeks.

Features of the AH-64D Apache Longbow. Source: Boeing

Dean Millsap of Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, told visiting Indian media in Philadelphia in May that the company had crash-tested the aircraft to a drop-speed of 40 feet per second. The company is pitching its ballistically-tolerant structure, which can withstand an impact up to 23 millimeters, to emphasize the survivablility of the aircraft.