New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) The Indian government has concluded contract negotiations with US aerospace major Boeing for procuring 22 Apache AH-64E combat and 15 Chinook CH-47F heavy-lift helicopters.
Disclosing this, the IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, told India Strategic defence magazine (www.indiastrategic.in) in an interview that the process for the final step, that is approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), has now been initiated and that “once accorded, the contracts would be signed”.
Notably, all contracts above Rs.1,000 crore (approximately $165 million at the current exchange rate) in value have to be approved by the CCS, which is headed by the prime minister and includes the finance, defence, external affairs and home ministers.
Procedurally, once the ministry of defence (MoD) approves a proposal for forwarding the case to CCS, it has to be seen and signed by the defence minister and then goes to the finance ministry where likewise, the finance minister has to accord his signature. Any observations by the finance Ministry are generally addressed by the MoD before the case is put up to the CCS.
It normally does not take more than a couple of months once a file is moved for CCS approval. And if all goes well – which hopefully should – then the approval should be there in March or April.
The contract then can be signed on ASAP basis within weeks.
According to Air Chief Marshal Raha, all the contracted aircraft should be delivered within five years of the signing; the first one though is within three years.
India will have to pay 15 percent (or whatever is agreed) of the negotiated value at the time of the contract. Payments are then made in accordance with the delivery schedule.
Sources in the MoD indicated that negotiations were also on with Boeing for buying four more P-8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft as per the options clause, and most likely, the contracts for the helicopters as well as P-8Is should be through by mid-2015.
The Indian Navy has already bought eight P-8Is, of which six have been delivered and two are likely to arrive in India over the next few months. All these aircraft are being acquired on the Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) basis although their weapon systems like radars and missiles would be through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route from the US Government.
As for the the Apaches, Boeing’s Vice President for Defence, Space and Security in India Dennis Swanson has pointed out that the Indian Air Force (IAF) will be getting the very latest helicopter – the AH-64E – that has recently been delivered to the US Army. This version has 26 modifications over the earlier AH 64-D model.
The exact specifications for the Indian requirement are not known but normally, one in every three Apaches is equipped with Lockheed Martin’s sophisticated Longbow radar to acquire and designate targets for destruction. At present, IAF has very old Soviet vintage Mi-35 combat and Mi-26 heavy lift helicopters. They have done very well but have aged and need replacement with contemporary systems.
CM Kamal Nath decides to resign, will hand over to Governor
Bhopal, Agencies. Kamal Nath-led Congress government will have floor test in Madhya Pradesh Assem
The petitioner has sought immediate intervention from the Supreme Court in the Joshimath landslid
The three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Sammelan began on Sunday in Indore. On the first day, Chief Minis
Timing for bursting crackers on Diwali in Mumbai is fixed, know the BMC guidelines.
The increasing pollution in Mumbai has also become a matter of concern amidst the festival of Diw
4 big benefits related to income tax announced in Budget 2022, will give big relief to taxpayers
No special announcement was made for the taxpayer in Budget 2022. It was expected that there migh
The next 3 days of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are going to be very special and busy. PM Modi is
General elections are due in Turkey in June of next year. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has star
A heated debate has erupted between Bollywood actor Harshvardhan Rane and his Sanam Teri Kasam co
Countdown of lockdown starts, country will gallop from green zone
In the first phase of lockdown, where PM Modi gave the mantra of 'Jaan hai to jahan hai', in the
Mamta then became the Chief Minister. He was sworn in on Wednesday. This is the third time she ha
