Big Indian Navy Requirement for Helicopters Revealed

lcafanboy

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Big Indian Navy Requirement for Helicopters Revealed
Thursday, October 12, 2017 By: AIN Online Source Link: CLICK HERE


The Indian Navy has revealed an intention to procure approximately 111 Naval Utility Helicopters (NUH) and 123 Naval Multi-role Helicopters (MRH). The responses to two requests for information (RFI) documents by the Indian Ministry of Defence were due last week. The two projects are partially a restatement of earlier requirements that were never realized. They both require indigenous manufacture under Delhi’s “Make in India” requirements.

The MRH will replace the Indian Navy’s Sea Kings, and is to be procured in two versions. One will perform anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), electronic intelligence-gathering, and search and rescue (SAR). The other will be for special operations, including anti-piracy missions, combat SAR and humanitarian operations.

In December 2014, the MoD chose the Sikorsky S-70B to meet an interim ASW/ASuW requirement, but a contract was never signed, since pricing could not be agreed. But a defense official told AIN that Sikorsky was still the “natural” choice, especially since it seemed that neither Leonardo nor NH Industries (which produces the NH-90 and is part-owned by Leonardo) would be allowed to bid, following the AW101 procurement scandal. When asked by AIN whether this was indeed the case, Leonardo’s head office for helicopters in Italy did not respond. Airbus Helicopters is another likely contender.

The NUH will replace aging Cheetahs and Chetaks. A previous requirement for only 56 such helicopters was cancelled in October 2014. The new request calls for the NUH to perform SAR, medical evacuation, communications, anti-piracy missions, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The initial NUH acquisition will comprise 15 “basic” versions. The remaining 96, according to think tank Indian Defense Research Wing, are “required to have sub-surface mission capabilities, which means the whole fleet of Indian Navy’s Next Generation Naval Utility Helicopters will have torpedo-carrying capabilities.”

“The indigenous portion of the procurement is to be manufactured in India based on designs to be provided by the foreign OEM to the selected strategic partner,” said the RFI. The OEM must maximize the local content. But an analyst told AIN that government-owned Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) might still be eligible . It is in partnership with Rostec Corp for the supply of 197 Russian KA-226T helicopters to the Indian army and air force. A ship-based version of the Ka-226T has passed trials, and “nowhere does the [Indian Navy] RFI say this is meant only for the private sector,” the analyst added.
http://www.defencenews.in/article/Big-Indian-Navy-Requirement-for-Helicopters-Revealed-404067


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Hari Sud

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Navy, Airforce and Army have over enthusiastically revealed their requirements without the least bit of consideration of the finances. Todate, if you total requirements, it totals close to $40 billion in capital expenses for next five years. That is on top of $56 billion a year budget needed for the regular armed forces upkeep.

There is definitely something wrong in armed forces thinking. They need lessons in economics & finance and also in prioritization.
 

sthf

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@captscooby81 There was an American member who worked in Sikorsky who was of the opinion that S-70B for NMRH was a better option and it makes sense because NH 90 sucks ass.

For NUH, the AUW mentioned in the RFI is 5.5 tons. AW 159 is the best in class but after the recent drama, Augusta Westland has a snowball's chance in hell so I'd bet on AS565 MBe.
 

binayak95

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I would be very happy if HAL gets its act together and equips the Dhruv with auto-folding blades. Then, armed with the sensor suite of the Rudra, this could be produced at another site (in partnership with pvt company) for the Navy.
 

Tactical Frog

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Damn .. if Indian Navy wasn’t in a hurry, I would recommend to wait a few years til a military naval version of Airbus Helicopters new little wonder , the H160, is ready. No idea if it is a possible contender for NUH.

See “Airbus Helicopters H160 to Replace French Navy Dauphin, Panther & Alouette III Light Helicopters” http://www.navyrecognition.com/inde...n-panther-alouette-iii-light-helicopters.html
 

Armand2REP

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Damn .. if Indian Navy wasn’t in a hurry, I would recommend to wait a few years til a military naval version of Airbus Helicopters new little wonder , the H160, is ready. No idea if it is a possible contender for NUH.

See “Airbus Helicopters H160 to Replace French Navy Dauphin, Panther & Alouette III Light Helicopters” http://www.navyrecognition.com/inde...n-panther-alouette-iii-light-helicopters.html
It can carry 70% more than the Ka-226 and 40% more range. Sounds like India should cancel their contract with Russia immediately.
 

Bahamut

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It can carry 70% more than the Ka-226 and 40% more range. Sounds like India should cancel their contract with Russia immediately.
Ka 226 is a light utility helicopter while H 160 is a medium one .
Navy has requirement for medium helicopter , so Ka 226 , Airbus can submit the paper butt by default it is MH 60
 

Dark Sorrow

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Rs 21,738 crore naval helicopter purchase to be first under Strategic Partner policy

The procurement of 111 “naval utility helicopters” (NUH) is the first acquisition to have been cleared by the defence ministry under its new “strategic partner” (SP) model, which seeks to bring the private sector into defence manufacturing.
On Monday, the ministry’s apex procurement body, the “Defence Acquisition Council” (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, accorded the NUH procurement “acceptance of necessity” (AoN) for an estimated Rs 21,738 crore.
According to this “Make in India” sanction, the first 16 helicopters will be supplied by the selected “original equipment manufacturer” (OEM) fully built, while the remaining 95 will be built in India by the selected SP, with transfer of technology (ToT) from the OEM.
With the AoN accorded, the defence ministry will now start shortlisting suitable private Indian firms as the designated SPs for helicopter manufacture, as well as shortlisting foreign OEMs. It is understood that at least two Indian SPs will be chosen.
This will involve identifying Indian firms that meet the criteria issued by the defence ministry in June in the SP policy. Separate criteria, mainly relating to the capabilities of the helicopter on offer, will govern the selection of OEMs. Thereafter, SPs will tie up partnerships with OEMs of their choice and submit technical and commercial bids.
To zero in on prospective vendors, the navy sent out Requests for Information (RFIs) in August. According to industry sources, there are likely to be just two candidate OEMs for the sub-5 tonne class NUH – Bell Helicopters and Airbus Helicopters.
In another clearance of prime operational importance to the navy, the DAC has cleared the procurement of nine “advanced towed array sonar” (ATAS) for warships to be able to detect enemy submarines.
The procurement, which is estimated to be worth Rs 2,000 crore, involves building the ATAS in Bharat Electronic Ltd (BEL), under ToT from German firm, Atlas Elektronik.
In November 2014, Atlas Elektronik won a contract to supply six ready-built ATAS for three Delhi-class destroyers and three Talwar-class frigates. The navy wants standardized sonar across all its warships.
The nine ATAS systems are intended for the navy’s three Kolkata-class destroyers; three Shivalik-class frigates, and three Teg-class Russian-origin frigates. The navy will fit ATAS externally onto the rear of these warships, which have been built with an empty compartment at the rear.
ATAS is considered an indispensable anti-submarine capability for warships operating in Indian waters, where a particularly sharp temperature gradient bends sonar waves through refraction, with the returning signal often getting lost.
ATAS overcomes the temperature gradient, since it is towed by a cable that extends deep below the surface, into the cooler layers where submarines lurk. With the sensors themselves in the colder water layers, there is no “temperature differential”. Even the faintest return signal from a submarine is detected.

Link
 

Vignesh anand

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The Dhruv is the perfect choice
Carries more payload and fuel
More powerful engines , cheaper
The navy already operates a squadron and hence many of the costs which come with adding a new aircraft type are absent
The DRDO already has a dipping sonar's and light torpedoe that the navy has approved
Folding blades can be added for a 100 kg weight penalty which is acceptable considering the fact that the Dhruv is already up in payload and internal fuel
 

Vignesh anand

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The Naval Dhruv should be based on the rudra with retractable landing gear instead of skids with necessary naval modifications,
 

Vignesh anand

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Light Utility helicopters is one of the few the few fields in which we can truly claim to be world class
It's truly criminal for the navy to not procure the Dhruv , it out performs all the contenders
200 kg heavier than the AS565 , one ton extra payload and 25% more Internal fuel
 

Wisemarko

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MH-60R is available only through government to government FMS route at present. Older and less capable S-70 models are available through direct commercial sale (DCS). The big difference between MH-60R and S-70 is the new ALFS system that is significantly more sensitive than older one.

AN/AQS-22 Airborne Low Frequency Sonar (ALFS)

The AN/AQS-22 Airborne Low Frequency Sonar (ALFS) is the primary undersea warfare (USW) sensor of the MH-60R multi-mission helicopter. This integrated dipping sonar system enables the MH-60R to accomplish the assigned ASW missions of submarine detection, tracking, localization and classification. It also performs missions relating to acoustic intercept, underwater communications and environmental data acquisition.



IN A CLASS BY ITSELF
The AN/AQS-22 is the only in-service dipping sonar with multi-frequency operation. This capability enables the AN/AQS-22 to adapt its performance to varying environmental conditions. With a rapid search rate, the AN/AQS-22 identifies and neutralizes threats sooner, enabling it to cover a larger area. The AN/AQS-22 also permits a longer detection range over a wider area, reducing the number of helicopters required to perform active anti-submarine warfare (ASW) screening.

MH-60R submarine detection options include new processing systems for advanced sonobuoys, while the S-70B’s standard HELRAS dipping sonar is replaced by ALFS sonar also used in the NH90-NFH. The S-70B’s standard is the AN/APS-143 radar family, which will also be used on India’s P-8i sea control jets; in contrast, the MH-60R uses the AN/APS-153, with inverse SAR mode for detecting submarine periscopes. MH-60R/S helicopters carry AGM-114 Hellfires for use against small boats and land targets, and will soon add APKWS 70mm laser-guided rockets, alongside the latest Mk.54 torpedoes which India has purchased for P-8I.

However, MH-60R lacks any anti-ship missile capability that S-70 enjoys with short ranged Penguin ASM. Apparently, IN is not happy with the short range of Penguin.
 
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Wisemarko

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One of the major changes with new ALFS sonar made by Raytheon (used in MH-60R) and its parent FLASH sonar (used in NH-90 and some export MH-60R) made by Thales is that both of these can go down to 750 meters. HELRAS equipping S-70 models can go down to 450 meters only. There are significant advantages claimed with deeper dipping sonars. New HELRAS DS100 made by L3 Communications has the lowest frequency of any sonars and claims to be most effective and economical of all sonars.
Debate can continue but the point is that India will benefit greatly with any of these sonars and either S-70 or MH-60R. If price is not a big issue, buying MH-60R makes a lot more sense.
 

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