Marignane, France: Taking advantage of the delivery of the last two AS565 MBe Panther helicopters to the Mexican Navy in early December, Airbus Helicopters invited select Indian journalists for an update on the new version of the Panther, which it is offering to the Indian Navy for its Naval Utility Helicopter (NUH) programme. Incidentally, Mexican Navy, which had contracted for 10 Panthers, was the launch customer for this version of the helicopter.

Director, ‘Make in India’, Airbus Helicopters, Fabrice Cagnat

After hanging fire for nearly a year and half (more if one adds up the time the programme was first conceptualised), the navy finally issued the request for information for two types of helicopters, NUH and Naval Multi Role Helicopter (NMRH) in August 2017 under the Strategic Partnership model of the Defence Procurement Procedure-2016 (DPP). And on October 31, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the Acceptance of Necessity (AON) for the 111 NUHs. According to the Request for Information (RFI), while 15 per cent helicopters will come in flyaway conditions, the rest will be made in India.

Amongst the expected roles of the NUH as listed in the RFI are ‘search and rescue, medical evacuation, communication duties, anti-piracy and anti-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and surveillance and targeting’. Going by the buzz within the naval circles, it appears that the helicopter programmes will move faster than others for the simple reason that several new warships are without adequate helicopter support, with the navy constantly doing a balancing act with the old warhorses, well past their prime.

Executive vice president, Global Business, Airbus Helicopters, Ben Bridge

In an interview to FORCE on the eve of the navy day, the chief of naval staff said, “The Naval Utility Helicopter (NUH) is a basic ship-borne utility helicopter. The Naval Multi Role Helicopter (NMRH), on the other hand, would be a relatively larger aircraft with sophisticated weapons and sensors. Integration of several sensors and weapons in the NMRH might make this programme more challenging vis-à-vis the NUH. Therefore, NMRH may take a little longer than the NUH to materialise.” Later at his annual press conference on December 1, he told the media that the contract (for NUH) was expected to be signed in the first quarter of 2018.