INDIA-CHOPPERS 2LST

Three vendors, including Eurocopter, Italian Agusta
Westland and Russian Mil Corporation, submitted their
responses in December 2008 to the tender issued in June last
year.
Defence Ministry's Technical Evaluation Committee
completed its evaluations by April-May this year and had said
that the participating companies would be soon invited for
trials.
The next trials, sources said, would be possible only
in April-May next year.
The previous tender was issued in 2003 and American Bell
and Eurocopter were shortlisted for field trials.
Of the 197 choppers to be procured, the Army will get 133
choppers and rest 54 will go to IAF for replacing their old
French-origin fleet.
The two forces need a total of 384 choppers, of which 197
will be supplied by foreign vendors and the rest would be
co-developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited with a
foreign manufacturer. PTI