The Russian Helicopters holding intends to participate in the tender for the supply of 111 shipborne Ka-226T helicopters for the Indian Navy.
This light multi-purpose helicopter can comfortably seat up to seven people or one ton of cargo, and it can be produced by the Russian-Indian joint venture, the creation of which was agreed upon in October 2016. In accordance with the agreement, India will receive 200 helicopters in nine years; 60 of those helicopters will be assembled in Russia, while the remaining 140 helicopters will be assembled in India with the participation of a local company, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
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To that end, a joint venture has been registered in Bangalore, where the HAL head office is located. Later, the production of components shall be launched, and the final stage of the cooperation shall witness a full assembly of Ka-226T helicopters.
The signing of the final contract on the terms and conditions of JV operation shall be signed by Russian Helicopters, Rosoboronexport and HAL in the first quarter of 2018. The total contract value shall amount to 1 billion US dollars.
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The joint venture agreement will be a strong advantage in the upcoming tender of the Indian Navy. According to Andrey Boginsky, CEO of Russian Helicopters Holding Company, the Indian party will benefit from the powerful synergy if Russian Ka-226T helicopters are chosen. The Holding has already developed a marine modification of Ka-226T. In particular, the blade folding system in the shipborne modification of Ka-226T has already been certified. Moreover the operation of a fleet consisting of one type of helicopters, including personnel training, will cost much less in this case.