Three Russian Ka-226 choppers in high-altitude India trials

New Delhi, Feb 16 (PTI) Russia has brought three of its
Kamov-226 light multi-purpose helicopters to join trials in
high altitude areas of Jammu and Kashmir for the Indian
armed forces' requirement for 197 such choppers.
"We have brought the Ka-226 helicopters for the high
altitude trials that are going on at present. We are competing
in the bids against Eurocopter and Agusta Westland,"
Rosoboronexport's deputy director general Victor Komardin said
here Tuesday.
Ka-226, an upgraded version of the Ka-26 choppers, will
be competing in the trials against European chopper
manufacturer Eurocopter's AS-550 and British-Italian major
Agusta Westland's AW119 helicopters for the tenders.
The tenders were floated last year to equip the army with
133 and the Indian Air Force (IAF) with 64 such choppers to
replace its ageing 350-helicopter Cheetah and Chetak fleet.
While 197 of these choppers would be bought off the
shelf, another 187 would be manufactured within India by the
Defence Public Sector Undertaking Hindustan Aeronautics
Limited.
Komardin also told reporters at the DefExpo, a land and
naval defence systems exhibition, that Russia would deliver
the fifth and the last of the Illushin-38 maritime aircraft to
the Indian Navy Wednesday.
"The aircraft would arrive in Goa and this would complete
the upgrading programme for the IL-38s. With this, we have
completed the upgrade of all five of the IL-38s," he added.
IL-38s are long-range maritime aircraft in the navy's
aviation fleet with a 7,200-km range touching speeds of 650
kmph. (MORE) PTI