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The delay is due to a committee appointed to look into technical reports, after one such committee had already done so.
The Indian Army's deal to acquire 197 helicopters is nowhere near completion. And this, despite the Ministry of Defence giving waiver to one parameter of the tender last year to avoid a possible cancellation. The delay is due to a higher committee appointed by the MoD to look into the technical evaluation report of the two final contenders, after one such committee had already looked into it.
The MoD has appointed a higher Technical Oversight Committee (TOC) headed by a three-star Army officer to look into the technical report before reaching a conclusion. The officer is the Commandant of the Artillery School of the Army, and an aviator. The higher TOC will look into the earlier TOC's report to ensure that the report findings match the parameters laid in the tender, based on which the trials took place. The competition is between Russian Kamov 226T offered by ROE (Rosoboronexport) and the French AS550C3 offered by Eurocopter.
A source said, "This deal was always caught in controversy, therefore the need for a second TOC arose, and it will take its time. The conclusion of this contract could take anything between six months to a year, after the procedure first began seven years ago for this Rs 3,000 cr deal."
The Defence Minister, after the new Army chief assumed office, had reiterated the need for speeding up the Army's modernisation, for which funds would not be a problem.
As per procurement procedures, after the technical evaluation of the final contenders who have successfully undergone field trials, a Technical Oversight Committee (TOC) is appointed to look into the technical report.
A senior MoD official told this newspaper, "Rarely does the TOC differ from the TEC (Technical Evaluation Report). So the six-seven months the TOC takes are mostly a waste of time. This deal is undergoing two TOCs, which is taking even more time. But given the sensitive nature of this deal, it was required."
Considering the Indian Army's desperation to acquire these choppers, delayed by cancellations and near cancellations, the MoD last year decided to do away with the tender requirement of the High Altitude Hover-Out-Of-Ground-Effect (HOGE) at 6,000 metre pressure altitude, as this was not met by any of the contenders.
MoD keeps helicopter deal hanging in air
The Indian Army's deal to acquire 197 helicopters is nowhere near completion. And this, despite the Ministry of Defence giving waiver to one parameter of the tender last year to avoid a possible cancellation. The delay is due to a higher committee appointed by the MoD to look into the technical evaluation report of the two final contenders, after one such committee had already looked into it.
The MoD has appointed a higher Technical Oversight Committee (TOC) headed by a three-star Army officer to look into the technical report before reaching a conclusion. The officer is the Commandant of the Artillery School of the Army, and an aviator. The higher TOC will look into the earlier TOC's report to ensure that the report findings match the parameters laid in the tender, based on which the trials took place. The competition is between Russian Kamov 226T offered by ROE (Rosoboronexport) and the French AS550C3 offered by Eurocopter.
A source said, "This deal was always caught in controversy, therefore the need for a second TOC arose, and it will take its time. The conclusion of this contract could take anything between six months to a year, after the procedure first began seven years ago for this Rs 3,000 cr deal."
The Defence Minister, after the new Army chief assumed office, had reiterated the need for speeding up the Army's modernisation, for which funds would not be a problem.
As per procurement procedures, after the technical evaluation of the final contenders who have successfully undergone field trials, a Technical Oversight Committee (TOC) is appointed to look into the technical report.
A senior MoD official told this newspaper, "Rarely does the TOC differ from the TEC (Technical Evaluation Report). So the six-seven months the TOC takes are mostly a waste of time. This deal is undergoing two TOCs, which is taking even more time. But given the sensitive nature of this deal, it was required."
Considering the Indian Army's desperation to acquire these choppers, delayed by cancellations and near cancellations, the MoD last year decided to do away with the tender requirement of the High Altitude Hover-Out-Of-Ground-Effect (HOGE) at 6,000 metre pressure altitude, as this was not met by any of the contenders.
MoD keeps helicopter deal hanging in air
