Leap of Faith

Ghazala Wahab

Ulan Ude | Moscow, Russia: Confident that the long-awaited contract for 200 Ka-226T helicopters would be signed with India in the first quarter of 2018, Russian Helicopters invited a group of international journalists, including four from India, to its facilities in Moscow and Ulan Ude (Siberia), which is home to Ulan Ude Aviation Plant (UUAP), one of the biggest helicopter manufacturing facilities in Russia in end-November.

CEO, Russian Helicopters, Andrei Boginsky

The press tour concluded at UUAP with a teleconference with the CEO of the Russian Helicopters Andrei Boginsky, in which he not only expressed optimism about the signing of the contract but also threw in his hat for the Indian Navy’s Naval Utility Helicopter (NUH) programme. He said it will make sense for ‘Make in India’ if the navy considers Ka-226T for its 5-tonne utility helicopter requirement.

“Commonality of platforms will help India save money not only on the price of the helicopter but on life cycle costs too,” he added for good measure. According to him, all the outstanding issues regarding the contract were likely to be resolved in December 2017, paving the way for the commercial contract to be signed.

India signed the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with Russian Helicopters and Rosoboronexport in October 2016 on the side-lines of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit in Goa for the procurement of 200 Ka-226T helicopters in the ratio of 60:40:100, of which 60 are to be supplied to India from UUAP in a flyaway condition; 40 will be assembled by the HAL-Russian Helicopters joint venture company and 100 would be manufactured entirely by the JV. While HAL holds 50.5 per cent in the JV, Russian share is 49.5 per cent. Under the IGA, t