DAC Approves 22 Cheetal Choppers For Army

[Major Shaitan Singh]

With the armed forces marred by long delays in replacing the vintage Cheetah/ Chetak choppers, Defence Ministry has approved a proposal to procure around 22 Cheetal helicopters for Army.

The Army is planning to deploy these choppers for supporting its high altitude operations in Ladakh and Siachen.

A meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the apex Ministry body headed by Defence Minister A K Antony to decide on procurements, cleared the proposal to procure around 22 Cheetal choppers for Army, Defence Ministry officials said.

The Cheetals are an upgraded version of the vintage Cheetahs with more powerful engines manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

These choppers are being procured as there is a delay in the acquisition of new Light Utility Helicopters (LUHs) for replacing the Cheetah/Chetak fleet of IAF and Army due to cancellation of procurement procedures in the recent past, they said.

Army has some of its squadrons of Cheetah/Chetak choppers deployed in Siachen base camp and around Leh in Jammu and Kashmir to support its troops deployed at and along the world's highest battlefield there, the officials said.

The Defence Ministry is procuring 197 LUHs of which 133 would go to Army while the remaining would go to IAF.

European Eurocopter and Russian Kamov 226 Sergei are in the race for supplying these new choppers but the Defence Ministry is yet to take a final decision on starting commercial negotiations with the two vendors.

The Navy has also issued a tender for procuring 56 choppers that will replace its fleet of the vintage Cheetah/ Chetak helicopters.

 

[Abingdonboy]

With the armed forces marred by long delays in replacing the vintage Cheetah/ Chetak choppers, Defence Ministry has approved a proposal to procure around 22 Cheetal helicopters for Army.

The Army is planning to deploy these choppers for supporting its high altitude operations in Ladakh and Siachen.

A meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the apex Ministry body headed by Defence Minister A K Antony to decide on procurements, cleared the proposal to procure around 22 Cheetal choppers for Army, Defence Ministry officials said.

The Cheetals are an upgraded version of the vintage Cheetahs with more powerful engines manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

These choppers are being procured as there is a delay in the acquisition of new Light Utility Helicopters (LUHs) for replacing the Cheetah/Chetak fleet of IAF and Army due to cancellation of procurement procedures in the recent past, they said.

Army has some of its squadrons of Cheetah/Chetak choppers deployed in Siachen base camp and around Leh in Jammu and Kashmir to support its troops deployed at and along the world's highest battlefield there, the officials said.

The Defence Ministry is procuring 197 LUHs of which 133 would go to Army while the remaining would go to IAF.

European Eurocopter and Russian Kamov 226 Sergei are in the race for supplying these new choppers but the Defence Ministry is yet to take a final decision on starting commercial negotiations with the two vendors.

The Navy has also issued a tender for procuring 56 choppers that will replace its fleet of the vintage Cheetah/ Chetak helicopters.

So now the DM can say "oh look I'm doing something about the LUH crisis, forget the fact my governemnt scuttled the chance of getting 197 starting within the next 2 years".

22 Cheetals, ARE YOU F*CKING KIDDING ME?? The IAF/IA need 384 LUH to replace the 30-40 year old Cheetak/Cheetahs and the DAC is clearing 22 Cheetals?!! Papering over cracks doesn't even begin to describe this situation. HAL aren't even able to deliver the the Series 85 high-altitude rotor blades with these Cheetals now because they have long since gone out of production so I wonder how many in-serivce Cheetahs will be canabilzed for these new-build Cheetals?

The current GoI have ensured the IA/IAF won't induct a single new LUH before 2020 (AT THE EARLIEST), I wonder how many Cheetak/Cheetan/Cheetah/Cheetal crashes we will have til then? How many airmen and women are going to lose their lives because of pathetic poltical posturing? Some of the airframes will be 50 f*cking years old by the time they are retired most likely.



How can these polticans sleep at night?


@sancho

 

[sancho]

@Abingdonboy

Well, that's what I said last year wasn't it? This stopgap solution was inevitable by the fact that they have scrapped the LUH. What's even worse is, that Airbus had warned them about not being able to keep supporting the Cheetal / Chetak helicopters anymore, so this desperate move to counter their mistake from last year, will turn out into a bigger problem. Now we procure Cheetal helicopters for millions, that however will be phased out early, by the lack of support capability => more wasted tax payers money.

 

[The Great One]

Why can't some ALH be procured as a stop-gap until a domestic LUH is ready.

 

[SajeevJino]

.

Idiots, they can buy ten LUH through direct Sale from Airbus or Finmeccania with the money of 22 cheetals

why they again investing these old platforms. I remeber yesterday those Fauji wife's give letter to DM to replace those vintage Helicopters from tri services

 

[Abingdonboy]

Why can't some ALH be procured as a stop-gap until a domestic LUH is ready.

The ALHs are being procured and in large numbers but they aren't a suitable substitute for the LUHs that are operating at extreme high altitudes. In some of the foreward HLZs the landing pads are simply too small to support the large ALH and AFAIK at least 2 ALHs have been damaged because of just this reason with the IA forced to have to use this platform where their Cheetah fleet has become u/s in certain sectors.

Idiots, they can buy ten LUH through direct Sale from Airbus or Finmeccania with the money of 22 cheetals

Indian bureaucracy at its finest- you need to have an open tender, trails, comparative analysis etc etc and only then can you think of buying anything. Anyway 10 helos won't even begin to cut it, the requirement is for almost FORTY times this number.

why they again investing these old platforms. I remeber yesterday those Fauji wife's give letter to DM to replace those vintage Helicopters from tri services

Please, you think that letter has any effect on the decsion making process? The MiG-21s have been killing pilots for decade and yet to this day they are still in service same sad state of affairs with the Cheetaks/Cheetahs. This Govt actually scrapped the one hope we had for fast induction of LUHs (the past, now scrapped) RSH deal). Those army wives will be back in 12 months facing the exact same situation then 12 months after that and 12 months after that- nothing is going to change for at least 5 years!! It will be 2025 before the majority of these Cheetak/Cheetan/Cheetah/Cheetal will be out of service a DECADE from now, just think about that for a second!!

At a time when the IN is inducting billion dollar destroyers, the IAF lined up to induct $100 million fighters these helos that are older than the majority of the Indian population (most Indians are below the age of 35 and the Cheetaks/Cheetahs are 40+ years old!) are still flying around and they will be for a good ten years yet!!