Palak Gupta

India’s terms and conditions for a higher Indigenous Content (IC) in the Kamov-226T has stalled the procurement of the Russian light utility helicopters. The more than USD1 billion inter-governmental agreement (IGA) was signed in October 2015 between India and Russia. More than four years later, differences over Transfer of Technology (ToT) remain to be ironed out. As per the initial plans, the first chopper was supposed to be delivered to India in 2021.

CEO of Indo-Russian Helicopters Limited Madayi Nakkady Shrinath with Deputy Director
Gen. Igor Chechikov

In a bid to resolve the existent deadlock, Indo-Russian Helicopters Limited (IRHL) and the Russian Helicopters on 6 February 2020 signed a document laying bare the roadmap for the ‘Transfer of Technology’ with respect to the manufacture of Kamov 226T in India. Incorporated in May 2017 as a part of a project to localise the production of Kamov-226T helicopters, IRHL is a joint venture of Russian Helicopters, Rosoboronexport and the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

HAL owns 50.5 per ce